Dogs and peoples’ lives intertwine in 12 short stories spun from Hearne’s personal or peripheral experiences, in which the deepest emotional and physical struggles experienced by the protagonist are paralleled in the dog’s outlook. The first story in the collection, “Lab,” maintains this strong relationship wherein the protagonist, Willa, struggles with her maternal relationship until that one dark and dangerously stormy night, when mom gives birth just when the storm cuts off contact with the world. In the meantime, one-eyed Millie, Willa’s beloved pet Labrador, watches over three newborn kittens whose mother has died. Dogs are not biologically meant to tend kittens, and Willa is no labor and delivery specialist, but they both learn and channel their efforts for the welfare of new life. In the next to the last story, “The Boss,” wherein a brindled Staffordshire pit bull is as hungry to be free of capture as Sly is to evade the gangs in the city; neither gets far when home is not an option, making their future uncertain. Each of the 12 stories features a teen narrator, either first or third person omniscient, coming from different perspectives, voices, and pathos. Whether the telling is funny or poignant, uplifting or pitiful, each dog’s emergence into the scene affects a change, promotes a hope, or signals a loss. The narrator’s voices are captured perfectly, as each short story chimes to the rhythm and vocabulary best suited for the unique characters involved. Best of all, Hearne writes the concerns and challenges of teens as if each word came from their hearts. No dog-loving teen will want to miss the connection. (afterword) (Fiction. 10-14)
Pub Date: March 1, 2003
ISBN: 0-689-85258-4
Page Count: 128
Publisher: McElderry
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 15, 2003
Dolphin lovers will appreciate this look at our complicated relationship with these marine mammals.
Is dolphin-assisted therapy so beneficial to patients that it’s worth keeping a wild dolphin captive?
Twelve-year-old Lily has lived with her emotionally distant oncologist stepfather and a succession of nannies since her mother died in a car accident two years ago. Nannies leave because of the difficulty of caring for Adam, Lily’s severely autistic 4-year-old half brother. The newest, Suzanne, seems promising, but Lily is tired of feeling like a planet orbiting the sun Adam. When she meets blind Zoe, who will attend the same private middle school as Lily in the fall, Lily’s happy to have a friend. However, Zoe’s take on the plight of the captive dolphin, Nori, used in Adam’s therapy opens Lily’s eyes. She knows she must use her influence over her stepfather, who is consulting on Nori’s treatment for cancer (caused by an oil spill), to free the animal. Lily’s got several fine lines to walk, as she works to hold onto her new friend, convince her stepfather of the rightness of releasing Nori, and do what’s best for Adam. In her newest exploration of animal-human relationships, Rorby’s lonely, mature heroine faces tough but realistic situations. Siblings of children on the spectrum will identify with Lily. If the tale flirts with sentimentality and some of the characters are strident in their views, the whole never feels maudlin or didactic.
Dolphin lovers will appreciate this look at our complicated relationship with these marine mammals. (Fiction. 10-13)Pub Date: May 26, 2015
ISBN: 978-0-545-67605-2
Page Count: 272
Publisher: Scholastic
Review Posted Online: Feb. 15, 2015
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2015
This substantial introduction to toxic creatures of all kinds, both poisonous (to eat) and venomous (injecting their poison), is chock full of fascinating facts. Organizing the text by habitat, Singer moves from home and garden through desert, woods and jungle, to the sea shores, coral reefs and ocean depths. She discusses some species in several different chapters: Snakes appear in the grass, the desert, the pond, the jungle and the sea. The organization occasionally breaks down. In “Home is where the venom is,” the reader learns that black lemurs in Madagascar use millipede poison to repel insects. The busy design is clearly aimed at middle graders who may not recognize the bits of song and poetry behind the catchy chapter titles, but will appreciate the light tone. Sidebars provide extra information and puzzles for the reader. Despite repeated assurances that such animals are of more value than threat to humans, the overall effect is pretty scary. A two page webliography lists an intriguing variety of mostly academic and governmental sites for further exploration of this always interesting subject. (acknowledgments, bibliography, glossary, index) (Nonfiction. 10-14)
Pub Date: Oct. 1, 2007
ISBN: 978-1-58196-043-3
Page Count: 96
Publisher: Darby Creek
Review Posted Online: June 24, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 15, 2007
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