Book Blog #230: A Dog's Way Home by W. Bruce Cameron

Title: A Dog's Way Home
Author: W. Bruce Cameron
# of Pages: 297 (paperback)
Genre: Fiction, Animals, Adventure
Rating: ★★★★★
Synopsis: After Bella is picked up by Animal Control because pit bulls are banned in Denver, Lucas has no choice but to send her to a foster home until he can figure out what to do. But Bella, distraught at the separation, doesn't plan to wait. With four hundred miles of dangerous Colorado wilderness between her and her person, Bella sets off on a seemingly impossible and completely unforgettable adventure home.
Review: This book is so good, I had dreams about.

Okay, that's an exaggerating. And for the record, I had only one dream about it (I read the first half of the book before I went to sleep, and my brain decided to dream up an ending). By no means is this booking going to be winning any big prizes. However, it might just change a set of ridiculous laws referred to as Breed-Specific Legislature.

A Dog's Way Home focuses on the story of a dog (who may or may not be part pit-bull) who is living in Denver with his beloved owner. This may sound like a pretty generic story if it weren't for the fact that Denver has a ban on pit-bulls.

The reason this ridiculous ban was created in the first place is because two pit-bull attacks. Back in the 1980s, a man was attacked by a pit-bull in an alley behind his home and suffered many injuries (I feel bad for the man; this is one of the cases where the pit-bull was probably at fault). However, the second case that encouraged this ban to be passed was when a 3 year old was killed by a  pit-bull. It's always incredibly horrifying to hear someone so young to be killed, but the dog was chained up in its own yard and the child WANDERED in. Thus the ban was put in place in Denver (you can read more about the ban here: https://www.denverpost.com/2010/06/18/pet-beat-tide-may-be-turning-for-denvers-pit-bull-ban/).

Pit-bulls are stereotyped to be vicious dogs, but this is definitely not always the case. This is why this book is so interesting; a dog that does not even 100% look like a pit-bull is affected by this legislature. There have been many educated people backing up this ban, but hopefully this book will help more people see how judging a dog by its breed is not the way to protect the public from "vicious" animals.

W. Bruce Cameron said he has been criticized for using "simple, plain descriptions" throughout his book. This story is told from a dog's point of view, which is what he uses to justify this writing style. I didn't see this to be a problem. The story will definitely still interest adult readers, but the simple/plain descriptions make it easier for younger readers to be able to read and enjoy this book too.


That being said, this book will definitely not be for everyone. I felt like I was holding my breath the entire book, hoping that Bella (the dog protagonist) will be able to survive her next ordeal. There's a mix of happy and sad moments that might be too much for young children. However, it's important for people of all ages to be introduced to tough topics, so I believe those around middle school age an older can read and appreciate this book.


I'm a huge fan of A Dog's Purpose, and I could tell this book came from the same author based purely on the writing style and the flow of the plot. Him including Bella's sense of purpose and how she wants to help her human companions exhibits similar themes seen in his other books.


This is a quickly, heart-wrenching read with an important message. I recommend this book to everyone.

Book Blog #199: War Horse by Michael Morpurgo

Title: War Horse
Author: Michael Morpurgo
# of Pages: 165 (paperback)
Genre: YA, Historical Fiction, Animal
Rating: ★★★★☆
Synopsis: In 1914, Joey, a beautiful bay-red foal with a distinctive cross on his nose, is sold to the army and thrust into the midst of the war on the Western Front. With his officer, he charges toward the enemy, witnessing the horror of the battles in France. But even in the desolation of the trenches, Joey's courage touches the soldiers around him and he is able to find warmth and hope. But his heart aches for Albert, the farmer's son he left behind. Will he ever see his true master again?
Review: The Young Adult genre spans a great range of books, some being appropriate for those early in their elementary school years to those well into adulthood. There are a few tell-tale signs of a book border-lining the children's section; the size of the font (with the exception of the large print editions), the design of the cover/binding, the absence of graphic details of the war that is such a key part of setting the scene for this story, not to mention some of the questions on Goodreads asking for the answers for the AR quiz.

I've been avoiding children's books like the plague because many of them have predictable, simplistic plot with overused themes that I have no interest in. But War Horse has been sitting on my to-read shelf for too long, and I figured I might as well try to read it as I am a glutton for anything involving horses.

While I was correct that this book was written for the younger end of the Young Adult readers, the story had more maturity than other books of similar outward appearance to this one. I was surprised to find the story told through the perspective of a horse, which is incredibly refreshing as many stories told about animals would more easily by through a human. The only complaint is that the narration of the horse sounded a bit too human. Although I wouldn't know how horses perceive the world around them, it would have been more interesting if the horse more descriptively depicted his surroundings rather than using so much human terminology.

And while I did cry during several point of this book, I can't credit the story 100% for this. There were a few lines that reminded myself of my current situation and mental state which made me cry in empathy. But perhaps that since it did such a great job being relatable, I should credit it after all...?

Although it still is a children's book and reads similarly to a children's book, it has exceeded my expectations and was a touching, short read that I don't regret. I would recommend it, especially to those in late elementary school and middle school age.

Book Blog #42: White Fang by Jack London

Title: White Fang
Author: Jack London
# of Pages: 252 (paperback)
Genre: YA, Classics, Adventure, Animals
Rating:★★★★★
Synopsis: FIERCE. FEARED.

White Fang is part dog, part wolf-and the only one of five tiny cubs to survive. In his lonely world, he soon learns to follow the harsh law of the north-kill or be killed. 

But nothing in White Fang's life can prepare him for the cruel owner who buys him and turns him into a vicious killer-a pit dog. forced to fight for money.

Will White Fang ever know the kindness of a gentle master or will he die a fierce killer?

Review: So, let me give it to you straight; I'm not a big fan of classics. At all. Like, all those layers, the symbolism? Not my thing. And Jack London? I've defiantly heard of him. I even tried reading one of his books, Call of the Wild.

Key word: tried.

In short, I wasn't very enthusiastic in reading this book. And what's up with addiction to wolves? A lot of people like them, but I would prefer the soft, furry puppies that I know and love. The cover, on the other hand, was something to be enthusiastic about. It's very artistic y'know?

The first thing I see when I open the book is an introduction from K.A. Applegate (well, actually, the first thing I saw was the title page, then a list of Scholastic classics, another title page, and the verso), who I know as the author of Eve and Adam. I found that it was one of the most enlightening introductions I have ever read (which is great, but not that big of an achievement considering the fact that it was one of the few introductions I actually read).

So then finally I get to the actual book. And even though it took me a whole week to read it, I actually enjoyed it. A lot.

SPOILERS AHEAD

So it starts out with these two dudes who have a bunch of sleigh dogs. But there's this pack of hungry wolves and a reddish color dog kept bringing the dogs to the pack and eating them. So one of the guys dies and the other guys almost dies, blah blah blah. Then you get to hear more about the reddish dog and how there are three dogs hitting on her. One of them is, like, really young, the other has one eye, and the last one is just some youngish one.

This part was really epic. One-eye and youngish one team up and kill the really young one, and then One-eye kills Youngish! And then She-wolf has the hots for One-eye and have pups together. And, of course, one of those pups is our very own White Fang!

It really surprised me that White was introduced so late into the book. But, hey, fine with me! It's kinda cool to see how everyone is connected. So, One-eye ends up dying and so do White Fang's siblings. And White Fang goes exploring and finds man, who are described as gods. His mom finds him and it is revealed that her name is Kiche. I found the way humans were described very...revealing. I never really thought about how the relationship between man and dog might feel different to the animal than to us.

Gray Beaver acts like a weirdo and gets drunk, eventually selling White Fang to stupid Beauty. And then Beauty is EXTRA mean, making White Fang fight. I was wondering when he was actually going to become a pit dog...it didn't seem like he was going to for the longest time (I read the back cover, y'know?). But he does and then FINALLY he is saved by a new owner!

I love, love, LOVE the ending! When he was learning to love and to be loved, I almost cried. It was so adorable!!!!

"White Fang had ceased eating, lost heart, and allowed every dog of the team to thrash him. In the cabin he lay on the floor near the stove, without interest in food, in Matt, nor in life...And then, one night, Matt...was startled by a low whine from White Fang...A moment later, Matt heard a footstep. The door opened, and Weedon Scott stepped in. The two men shook hands. Then Scott looked around the room.

'Where's the wolf?' he asked.

Then he discovered him, standing where he had been lying, near to the stove. He had not rushed forward after the manner of other dogs. He stood, watching and waiting.

'Holy smoke!' Matt exclaimed. 'Look at 'm was his tail!...He never looked at me that way all the time you was gone.'...What of his joy, the great love in him, ever surging and struggling to express itself succeeded in finding a new mode of expression. He suddenly thrust his head forward and nudged his way in between the master's arm and body. And here, confined, hidden from view all except his ears, no longer growling, he continued to nudge and snuggle" -White Fang, 203.

I thought that the above quote was one of the cutest things! I loved that. So much. Another thing I really loved is that the dog doesn't die at the end. Jeez, what a relief.

SPOILERS END

So, you kind of have to read the book yourself to understand why it's such a good book. The first few chapters might be hard to read, but once you get to the part that focuses more on the dogs (I think it's about Chapter 4), it gets really good! And the chapters are really short, so it won't take that long to get to that point.

Just read it.

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Read the first draft here