Showoff

Showoff by Gordon Korman

From the book jacket:
Showoff: someone who is given to bragging, having a swelled head, boasting, swaggering, knowing it all...
Griffin Bing and his friends are back - and this time, things have gone to the dogs!
After former attack dog Luthor goes berserk at a dog show, he's accused of ruining the career of the three-time champion. Griffin has always wondered whether you could teach such a vicious dog new tricks... but he also smells a setup of some kind. he feels bad for Luthor - bad enough to spring him from the pound.
The only way for Luthor to make everything right is to do the unthinkable... and become the new national champion. Can Griffin Bing, The Man With the Plan, turn this beast into a beauty? Very soon, the whole world will want to know the answer.

If you can't get enough of the characters that Korman created for Swindle, Zoobreak and Framed, you'll be happy to know that the library just got a copy of Showoff. Dog lovers and readers who enjoy a fun sense of humor unite and enjoy another great book from Gordon Korman.
Booktrailer.

Racing in the Rain

Racing in the Rain: My Life as a Dog by Garth Stein


Mr Meyer's suggested this book to me last year, and when I found that they had adapted the novel for a younger audience I thought I would pick it up for our collection at the school and also preview it for you. How can car racing, reincarnation and dogs all make it into the same book? that's what I was thinking. But after reading the first chapter told from Enzo the dogs point of view I came to understand how things were gonna fall into place -"Gestures are all I have - sometimes they must be grand in nature." This is an enjoyable read for any dog lover or fan of car racing, for those of you that love a plot driven book, this will move to slowly for you.


Here's the summary from the back cover:
Have you ever wondered what your dog is thinking?
Meet one funny dog - Enzo, the lovable mutt who tells this story. Enzo know he is different from the other dogs: most dogs love to chase cars, but Enzo longs to race them. He learns about racing and the world around him by watching TV and by listening to the words of his best friend, Denny, an up-and-coming race car driver, and his daughter, Zoe, his constant companion. Enzo finds that life is just like being on the racetrack - it isn't simply about going fast. And, applying the rules of racing to his world, Enzo takes on his family's challenges and emerges a hero. In the end, Enzo holds in his heart the dream that Denny will go on to be a racing champion with his daughter by his side. For thiers is an extraordinary friendship - one that reminds us all to celebrate the triumph of the human (and canine) spirit.


If you only read a couple of chapters I recommend chapter one (to get you familiarized with the characters) and chapter 25. I believe it has already been optioned for becoming a movie, so watch for it in a year or two.


Thanks Mr. Meyers it was a fun read.

Notes from the dog

Notes From the Dog by Gary Paulsen

Fourteen-year-old Finn is a loner who lives with his dad and his amazing dog, Dylan. He's hoping to land a summer job where he doesn't have to talk to anyone except his pal, Matthew. Then Johanna moves in next door. She's ten years older, cool funny and she treats Finn as an equal. Dylan loves her, too. But Johanna is ill, and Matthew and Finn learn to care for her emotionally and physically. When she hires Finn to create a garden, his ideas backfire comically. but Johanna and the garden help Finn discover a talent for connecting with people he never knew he possessed.

I liked this book, unfortunately I didn't feel that there was enough character development - I didn't feel like Finn and Matthew acted fourteen-year-old's I know. I felt for Johanna, but again Paulsen could have added alot more to give her and the fact that she has cancer at such a young age some real significance. In other words I probably could have loved this book - instead I just kinda like it.

Outta this world

Laika by Nick Abadzis and Hilary Sycamore

This is one more to add to the great Outta This World collection, a simple colourful graphic novel that tells the story of the first dog in outer space.

Here's the summary:

Laika was a abandoned puppy destined to become the Earth's first space traveler. Nick Adadiz masterfully blends fiction and fact in the intertwined stories of three compelling lives. Along with Laika, there is Korolev, once a political prisoner, now a driven engineer at the top of the Soviet space program, and Yelena, the lab technician responsible for Laika health and life. This intense triangle is rendered with pitch-perfect emotionality of classics such as Because of Winn Dixie, Shiloh and Old Yeller. Abadiz gives life to a pivotal moment in modern history, casting light on the hidden moments of deep humanity behind history. Laika's story will speak straight to your heart.

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Dog sense

Dog sense by Sneed B. Collard III





This was one of the books I picked up at the K-9 conference I was at. So I thought it appropriate that I read the canine book.


Dog sense is the story of Guy Martinez who has recently moved to Montana from California (and life sucks, until the day he gets to choose a dog from the SPCA - enter Streak the border collie). The first day of school he makes his first enemy, school bully Brad Mullen and his first friend Luke Grant. Guy's relationship intensifies with both these characters through his dog Streak. Luke encourages Guy to enter Streak in the town Fair's Frisbee-catching competition. This also happens to be Brad Mullen's main event. The rivalry between Guy and Brad escalates until an impulsive wager pits the boys head-to-head and places Streak in jeopardy.

Although I found some of the characters to be stereotypical, I found the dialogue (especially Grandpa) to be well done. I learned stuff about a sport I never would have known and this is always a good thing. Having been around border collies in my life, I thought that Collard did a great job of explaining their intense personalities that are in constant need of challenging.

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How to Steal a Dog

How to Steal a Dog by Barbara O'Connor

"Half of me was thinking, Georgina, don't do this. Stealing a dog is just plain wrong. The other half of me was thinking, Georgina, you're in a bad fix and you got to do whatever it takes to get yourself out of it."

Georgina is pretty mad. Mad at her Dad (for having taken off from the family). Mad at her Mom (who's temporary solution to their housing crisis is to live in the family car). And mad at her little brother who just isn't much help in understanding all this. What Georgina needs is are solutions. There begins Georgina's idea of stealing a dog and then posting reward signs thus getting the reward money, so that her family can find a home again.

There's a few problems with Georgina's plan - unfortunately she acts before she's thought this through. A couple of minor things like, where will she keep the dog (it's not like she can take it back to the car - her Mom can't find out about any of this), what will she feed the dog?, how will she find time to walk the dog?.

I hope you'll check this one out - I loved it :-)

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