An affecting emotional roller coaster chronicling a loyal dog’s last days with her human family.
A retired working dog protects and cares for her family until her dying breath in Hoyle’s middle-grade novel.
Retired North Carolina Fish and Wildlife Law Enforcement dog Ripley is a stalwart, loyal German shepherd who has dedicated herself to taking care of her young human, Charlie, as well as Charlie’s mom, Amelia, ever since Charlie’s father, Max, died five years ago. Sadly, Ripley can sense that she is nearing the end of her own life after she falls getting off of Charlie’s bed. The vet confirms that Ripley has osteosarcoma, devastating Charlie and her mother with the news. The two have been fairly isolated since Max’s death, and Ripley worries that her humans will not have enough support after she’s gone. As the dog and her family check items off a bucket list of the former’s favorite activities, like chasing sandpipers at the beach, they find themselves truly reckoning not only with her death, but Max’s as well. Charlie and Amelia both start to make new friends, including a boy named Nathan who is dealing with the recent loss of his mother. There is no rest for the weary—Ripley must unofficially return to duty to protect her humans from dangerous poachers who threaten the preserve where Amelia works. This tearjerking middle-grade novel is the passionate and tender fourth installment in Hoyle’s canine-centric bibliography, following Millie (2024). Written in the first person from Ripley’s point of view, the narrative roots itself in sensory details, such as the “nervous chemicals [that] tint [Charlie’s] breath” when Ripley falls and the physical strain of the family’s financial woes (“I don’t know what it is about the word money, but it always makes my girls tense and their words stiff”). Peppered throughout are Tarkela’s black-and-white digital illustrations, which are proficient but less emotionally evocative or memorable than the story itself.
An affecting emotional roller coaster chronicling a loyal dog’s last days with her human family.Pub Date: Sept. 2, 2025
ISBN: 9781639934164
Page Count: 208
Publisher: Shadow Mountain
Review Posted Online: Aug. 27, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 1, 2025
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
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
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