This delightful, fetching tale will appeal to young dog lovers and cat lovers alike.
A lovable dog adopts the attitude and persona of his new feline pal in Trine’s middle-grade novella.
Arbuckle is a perfectly content canine. He’s happy fetching the newspaper for his human, Jack, or sticking his head out of an open window on car rides. But this doesn’t apparently sit well with Arbuckle’s cat neighbor, Sloan. She tells the dog that he doesn’t always have to obey Jack; he can simply say no. Sloan offers this advice more than once, as Arbuckle is easily distracted, but soon enough he takes to ignoring human commands. As Jack worries about his dog, Sloan convinces Arbuckle to explore the “off-the-leash world” outside of his fenced backyard. The more Arbuckle hangs out with Sloan and her feline “gang,” the more he becomes like them—he approaches everything with the typical indifference of cats and even trades his “arfs” for “meows.” Now Jack has a cat, more or less, but he wants his “buddy” back. Is returning to his former doggy ways what Arbuckle wants? In this endearing story, there’s humor aplenty, from Arbuckle’s “out of dog-sight, out of dog-mind” mentality (“Arbuckle was a little confused. Sometimes Jack called him Buddy. Sometimes it was Pal. Now and then Mack… and occasionally Good Boy or Little Fella. But Arbuckle was pretty sure his name was Arbuckle”) to Sloan taking pleasure in leaving hairballs for her human to step on (“Her insides had been busy working up new hairballs. Big slimy ones. She was long overdue to share them with the world”). Along with the laughs, however, are points of identification for younger readers: Arbuckle equates Jack’s commands with rules, and he’s clearly acting out like some kids do. This lighthearted novella takes a scathing view of psychologists; Jack takes Arbuckle to a shrink for dogs who seems primarily invested in the hefty per-visit charge. The final act, though brief, is just as bright and memorable as the multi-species cast.
This delightful, fetching tale will appeal to young dog lovers and cat lovers alike.Pub Date: N/A
ISBN: 9798218167644
Page Count: 92
Publisher: Malamute Press
Review Posted Online: June 2, 2023
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
Hugely entertaining, timely, and triumphant.
Robot Roz undertakes an unusual ocean journey to save her adopted island home in this third series entry.
When a poison tide flowing across the ocean threatens their island, Roz works with the resident creatures to ensure that they will have clean water, but the destruction of vegetation and crowding of habitats jeopardize everyone’s survival. Brown’s tale of environmental depredation and turmoil is by turns poignant, graceful, endearing, and inspiring, with his (mostly) gentle robot protagonist at its heart. Though Roz is different from the creatures she lives with or encounters—including her son, Brightbill the goose, and his new mate, Glimmerwing—she makes connections through her versatile communication abilities and her desire to understand and help others. When Roz accidentally discovers that the replacement body given to her by Dr. Molovo is waterproof, she sets out to seek help and discovers the human-engineered source of the toxic tide. Brown’s rich descriptions of undersea landscapes, entertaining conversations between Roz and wild creatures, and concise yet powerful explanations of the effect of the poison tide on the ecology of the island are superb. Simple, spare illustrations offer just enough glimpses of Roz and her surroundings to spark the imagination. The climactic confrontation pits oceangoing mammals, seabirds, fish, and even zooplankton against hardware and technology in a nicely choreographed battle. But it is Roz’s heroism and peacemaking that save the day.
Hugely entertaining, timely, and triumphant. (author’s note) (Fiction. 8-12)Pub Date: Sept. 26, 2023
ISBN: 9780316669412
Page Count: 288
Publisher: Little, Brown
Review Posted Online: Aug. 26, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 15, 2023
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Utterly believable, this bittersweet story, complete with an author’s note identifying the real Ivan, will inspire a new...
How Ivan confronts his harrowing past yet stays true to his nature exemplifies everything youngsters need to know about courage.
Living in a "domain" of glass, metal and cement at the Big Top Mall, Ivan sometimes forgets whether to act like a gorilla or a human—except Ivan does not think much of humans. He describes their behavior as frantic, whereas he is a peaceful artist. Fittingly, Ivan narrates his tale in short, image-rich sentences and acute, sometimes humorous, observations that are all the more heartbreaking for their simple delivery. His sorrow is palpable, but he stoically endures the cruelty of humans until Ruby the baby elephant is abused. In a pivotal scene, Ivan finally admits his domain is a cage, and rather than let Ruby live and die in grim circumstances, he promises to save her. In order to express his plea in a painting, Ivan must bravely face buried memories of the lush jungle, his family and their brutal murder, which is recounted in a brief, powerful chapter sure to arouse readers’ passions. In a compelling ending, the more challenging question Applegate poses is whether or not Ivan will remember what it was like to be a gorilla. Spot art captures poignant moments throughout.
Utterly believable, this bittersweet story, complete with an author’s note identifying the real Ivan, will inspire a new generation of advocates. (author’s note) (Fiction. 8-12)Pub Date: Jan. 17, 2012
ISBN: 978-0-06-199225-4
Page Count: 320
Publisher: Harper/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: Sept. 27, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 15, 2011
BOOK TO SCREEN
BOOK TO SCREEN
BOOK TO SCREEN
© Copyright 2026 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Follow
Popular in this Genre
We can’t wait for you to join Kirkus!
It’s free and takes less than 10 seconds!
Already have an account? Log in.
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
Welcome Back!
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
