Dog Days

by David Lubar

Overview

Larry can't stop thinking about the growling dog in the alley. He already has three strays in his backyard. How can he afford to take care of another one? When his brother Paul points out a strange mark in the alley, Larry has a mystery to solve. What is the dog protecting? What is really going on in that dark alley?

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781467732109
Publisher:	Lerner Publishing Group
Publication date:	08/01/2013
Series:	Fiction - Middle Grade
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	80
File size:	2 MB
Age Range:	9 - 10 Years

About the Author

Hidden Talents, Flip, Invasion of the Road Weenies, Punished, and My Rotten Life. His novels are on reading lists across the country, saving countless students from a close encounter with Madame Bovary. His short stories have appeared in the collections of such respected anthologists as M. Jerry Weiss, Don Gallo, and Michael Cart, and in a variety of magazines, including Boy's Life, READ, and Nickelodeon. He has also designed and programmed many video games, but he'd much rather spend his time writing books and hanging out with librarians. He lives in Nazareth, Pennsylvania, with his wife and a variety of cats.

Editorial Reviews

As Lubar's (Dunk) brief, disappointing tale of one boy's summer begins, outfielder Larry misses a catch to make the game-ending third out-because his six-year-old brother calls to him, "Someone needs help." Paul leads Larry to an alley where a mysterious red stain covers the wall, and a growling stray appears to be guarding the spot. "Besides baseball, there wasn't anything in the world [Larry] liked as much as dogs." And dogs love Larry, who takes in many a stray until he can find them homes, so he can't understand the alley dog's reaction. The protagonist becomes intrigued when new red stains start appearing on the wall and the dog continues to growl at him emphatically. While unraveling the puzzle, Larry discovers a way to tackle his two biggest problems, rising dog food prices for his homeless brood and losing the paper route he'd been promised. The tale feels sketchy, compared with Lubar's previous novels. Even the relationship between Larry and Paul, the only characters with any development here, seems unrealistic. Readers might believe that Paul would interrupt Larry at a pivotal moment on the field once, but twice (while Larry's at bat with a full count and the perfect pitch is about to come over the plate)? And his friends never comment on Larry's sabotage of their games. Fans of baseball and dogs will likely feel that they don't get to see enough of either to hold their interest. Ages 9-14. (May) Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information.

Publishers Weekly

Gr 3-5-Larry is spending the summer doing his two favorite things-playing baseball and taking care of the dogs he finds and brings home. Then his younger brother discovers a mysterious red mark on the wall of an alley and worries that it is blood. While they are investigating the alley, the brothers come across another stray but this one won't let Larry get close to it. Meanwhile, he discovers that the price of dog food has gone up and worries about having enough money to feed the animals in his care. By solving the mystery in the alley, Larry is able to find a way to feed the animals and also figures out how to approach the stray and take it home. The suspense in this easy-to-read chapter book will carry readers through to the end. The relationship between the brothers is warmly depicted, as Larry looks out for and spends time with Paul. A good transition novel for young readers on to chapter books.-Kristina Aaronson, Henniker Community School, NH Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information.

School Library Journal

Larry Haskins spent a nearly wonderful summer playing baseball and caring for his three stray dogs. He's always looking for good homes to place them with, since his family isn't well-off, and he can keep only as many as he can afford to feed. Paul, his excitable six-year-old brother, sees a possibly black-lab puppy growling beneath a suspicious stain on the wall of an alley. Paul's sure someone was murdered; Larry just wants to help the puppy. He is, however, running out of funds to buy dog food. Every plan he makes to earn money fails until the mystery of the stain and the puppy provides the answers he needs. Lubar has given parents and teachers of reluctant male readers something to cheer about-especially if they are concerned about the siren call of action-packed, violent series fiction. This gentle story with a laudable hero will draw young boys in as they recognize themselves in Larry, and it will keep them turning pages as his problems mount. The story threads knit together for a happy ending that will leave them wishing it had lasted longer. (Fiction. 9-11)

Kirkus Reviews