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A Dog for Life

Name: A Dog for Life
Author: L.S. Matthews
ISBN: 9780375849282

by L. S. Matthews

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Overview

This is the true story of the journey of John Hawkins and his dog, Mouse, from way up north to way down south.
Mouse has been John and his brother Tom's dog for life. They got her as a puppy when they were just little themselves, and they very quickly discovered that they could understand everything Mouse said and she could do the same. She was just a person like everyone else—though maybe a bit cleverer than most.
You've maybe heard that John "ran away with his pet dog." But the truth about this story is that John and Mouse made the journey to save Tom. It's hard to pinpoint when Tom became truly ill, but when the doctors said they had to send Mouse away for fear of infection, the boys knew they had to do something. Without Mouse, Tom would never recover. The journey began to find a temporary home for Mouse, but once they'd set off, nothing turned out the way they'd planned.

Synopsis

This is the true story of the journey of John Hawkins and his dog, Mouse, from way up north to way down south. Mouse has been John and his brother Tom's dog for life. They got her as a puppy when they were just little themselves, and they very quickly discovered that they could understand everything Mouse said and she could do the same. She was just a person like everyone else--though maybe a bit cleverer than most. You've maybe heard that John "ran away with his pet dog." But the truth about this story is that John and Mouse made the journey to save Tom. It's hard to pinpoint when Tom became truly ill, but when the doctors said they had to send Mouse away for fear of infection, the boys knew they had to do something. Without Mouse, Tom would never recover. The journey began to find a temporary home for Mouse, but once they'd set off, nothing turned out the way they'd planned.

About the Author, L.S. Matthews

L. S. Matthews has written poetry and short stories since she was a child. Today she writes full-time in England, where she lives with her husband and their two children. Her first book for young readers, Fish, was named a Publishers Weekly Best Book of the Year, a Publishers Weekly Flying Start, and was a Borders Original Voices book. The author lives in England.

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Editorials

Publishers Weekly

Butler's pronunciation is so crisp, clear and perfect that at times, it is a bit distracting. His enthusiastic impression of John Hawkins, the protagonist of Matthews's (Fish) latest book, suffers a bit from this overarticulation. John, who runs away with his dog, Mouse, in order to save both Mouse and his very ill brother, is a likeable character, and in many ways, Butler is right for the job. Energy-wise his portrayal of John's chipper and sometimes naive personality seems right on the mark. But John's narration is never quite natural. It is a bit stilted, as if being read for the first time. Butler's range with female voices seems limited to the comical, which is appropriate in most cases, except with Mouse. Thankfully, he doesn't give her one of those farcical voices, but listeners do need to keep reminding themselves that Mouse is a she. Despite the imperfect match-up of reader and material, this production remains an engaging listening experience. Ages 10-up. (Oct.) Copyright 2006 Reed Business Information.

Children's Literature - Norah Piehl

When John Hawkins's beloved older brother Tom comes down with a serious illness, the doctor says the boys' beloved dog Mouse has to leave to avoid making Tom's condition worse. But John knows that sending Mouse to the pound, where she might be killed, would actually make Tom sicker. To save Mouse's life—and maybe Tom's—John secretly travels with Mouse to the south of England, where the boys' long-lost uncle lives. Along the way, the boy and his dog encounter many eccentric characters—including a New Age healer and a scientist with dubious methods—before reaching his goal. Adding to (and sometimes contrasting with) John's matter-of-fact, self-assured narration is commentary from Mouse herself, whose thoughts John claims to understand: "We could talk out loud to her or just by thinking the words, and we'd hear her talk right back, in our heads. She was just a person like anyone—maybe a bit cleverer than most—who happened to have paws and fur and so on." Adventure fans and dog lovers will lap this one up, although John's odyssey of self-discovery and family loyalty goes way beyond genre boundaries.

School Library Journal

Gr 4-8-Like Matthews's Fish (Delacorte, 2004), this is a tale about a journey of discovery and the importance of holding onto the things that matter in troubled times. John Hawkins, the narrator, and his brother, Tom, have a dog that can communicate with them psychically. When Tom becomes ill, the doctor says that the pup must go, but the boys know that Mouse is essential to Tom's recovery. To keep the canine from being sent to the pound, John and Mouse set out on a journey to find a temporary home for the dog with an uncle they haven't seen in years. Along the way, they encounter an ineffectual New Age healer and her family, a scientist who performs experiments on stolen animals, and a persecuted Roma family who help them reach their goal. Although John and Mouse encounter some disturbing situations, the childlike tone and magical elements of the narrative keep it age appropriate. Mouse is an engaging character whose wry observations of the foibles of human beings contrast with John's na vet , and readers will be rooting for the pair to succeed in their quest. Highly enjoyable.-Kathleen E. Gruver, Burlington County Library, Westampton, NJ Copyright 2006 Reed Business Information.

Kirkus Reviews

Because of his brother's critical illness, John Hawkins's mother says the family dog must go. Knowing that Mouse is necessary to his brother's recovery, John takes her from the north end of the country to the south, where he hopes an uncle he has barely met will keep her temporarily. On the way he has adventures, exaggerated in later news stories to include saving a baby, a pack of wild horses and an entire gypsy caravan. Here, John tells his story straight, in a convincing colloquial voice. Hopeful, helpful John is an engaging nine or ten year old. The English setting is incidental to the adventure of his journey, which is very nearly as suspenseful as the reporting would have suggested, and far more interesting because of the telepathic connection between the dog and the boys. Underlying the appealing plot are some serious issues: a family's grief, "natural" healing, scientific experimentation on animals, prejudice against gypsies and dealing with differences. Episodic enough to be read aloud, this should have wide appeal. (Fiction. 9-12)