Marlane Kennedy's Dog Days of Charlotte Hayes On a Snowday

Our district used its 4th snow day today, and I used yesterday, Presidents' Day to read the Dog Days of Charlotte Hayes by Marlane Kennedy. There's really no connection between the two other than the time off has given me lots of opportunity to catch up on my "to be read" pile. I will say that I'm getting a little nervous with all of these days off since we only have one more calamity day left before we have to make them up, and I'm hearing rumors of yet another winter storm on its way. Makes you wonder about the wisdom of cutting our calamity days from 5 to 3 next year and then ZERO the next year. Oh well, enough speechifying, on with the book!

Marlane Kennedy is an Ohio author which already makes her interesting to me, and she wrote one of my favorites, Me and the Pumpkin Queen, based on a girl growing up in Circlevilhle, OH, te home of the Pumpkin Show every year. Pumpkin Queen got quite a bit of attention in the year it was written, and I'm still recommending it to kids in the library, it doesn't stay on the shelf very long.

Charlotte Hayes is not a dog person, she makes that very clear from the beginning of the book. However, she is stuck taking care of the family Saint Bernard who is chained to a dog house out back. Nobody is bugging Charlotte to take care of the dog, she just can't stand to see Killer as her father calls him or Beauregard as Charlotte calls him left without food or water or attention, so she fills the bowls, scratches the tummy and scoops the poop.

Why does the family have a dog that can't be in the house and nobody seems to want? It's because Charlotte's father can't pass up a good deal, whether it's a yard sale, a cheap broken down used car, or a purebred Saint Bernard, if he can get it cheap, he'll do it and not think of the consequences. His purchases keep him occupied and interested until the next good deal comes along and then they are forgotten. He claims to still love the dog and doesn't want to get rid of him, but he doesn't want to take care of him either, so Charlotte with the big heart steps in.

Why doesn't the family share the responsibility of the dog? Everyone has their own reasons, dad is distracted, older sister Agnes, a true teen queen, wants nothing to do with the drool and Mom is suffering from postpartum depression after the birth of baby brother Justin Lee. Mom also said from the beginning she didn't want the dog and wouldn't do anything to help with it, so Charlotte, who can't stand to see the gentle giant Beauregard suffer, tends to his needs.

What's a girl to do? Charlotte sets out to rid herself of Beauregard with several plans, the first is to make friends with the new girl, Grace, who lives in the biggest house in town with the hopes that she can talk Grace's family into adopting Beauregard. When that fails Charlotte takes drastic measures and drops the big dog off at an animal shelter claiming she found him running loose. When Beauregard is brought back by her father, Charlotte talks her dad into selling the dog through an ad in the newspaper, but when some scary characters begin to inquire about the dog, Charlotte offers to buy the dog herself so that she can turn him over to a Saint Bernard Rescue organization.

What can a 12 year old do to earn $400 to buy a Saint Bernard? Charlotte tries all sorts of ways to earn money and sort of falls into a job helping 83 year old stroke victim Petunia. At first Charlotte is nervous about being around Petunia who is very independent and doesn't really feel the need for help, but as time goes on the two find things to talk about, and Charlotte introduces Petunia to her friends Luann and Grace and the four play euchre every Friday after school. Needless to say, Charlotte earns the money and buys the dog and the ending of the book is very well done, not hokey and not at all what I predicted, more realistic.

Marlane Kennedy has a way with characters. Each person in this book has a role and each one plays it well. I love the way she developed the father as a guy who is loving and dedicated to his family, but can't pass up a good deal. The author gave such strength and independence to a frail 83 year old stroke victim and set Petunia up a role model for the 12 year olds who play cards with her on Friday. She created Charlotte as almost the voice of reason in her family, she sees a a problem and explores realistic ways to fix it.

I like this book a lot and just like Pumpkin Queen, I don't think it will be on the shelves very long.

Dog Gone

After a very relaxing summer, pretty much doing what I wanted to do when I wanted to do it, last week, I was in a class our district offered for 4 days. Wow! I forgot what it was like to be on a schedule. It was actually a very productive time, but I'm glad it's over, and I have exactly 7 workdays before I have to be back at school for real (any teacher knows that means I've been in multiple times already, but again on my own schedule).

So, anyway, I've been absent from our blog for a while, but now I'm back, and very appreciative of the fact that Bill had lots to blog about in my absence.

The book I just got done reading yesterday was Dog Gone by Cynthia Chapman Willis. I literally read it in 2 sittings in 1 day. I didn't want to put it down.

The story revolves around characters with great names: Dill (short for Dylan; the girl who is the main character), Cub (a boy who is one of Dill's best friends and a voice of reason), Dead End (the dog at the center of the story), G.D. (Dill's grandfather), and Lyon (Dill's dad). Chapman develops each character so well that the teacher in me could not help thinking about the wonderful class conversations we could have about characterization, after reading this book.

Dog Gone reminded me of several other books I love. Chasing Normal (my review) and Waiting for Normal (Bill's review) are the first two that came to mind -- all three deal with the loss of a child's mother in their daily life (in Chasing Normal, mom moves away, and in Waiting for Normal, the mom is never around, so it's more loss by neglect).

However, as I finished the last page, closed Dog Gone, and reflected on it, I realized the book it most reminds me of is Me and the Pumpkin Queen, another book I love. Both of these books deal with a mom who dies, and how the child (in both of these cases, a daughter) learns to grieve and deal with the loss. In Me and the Pumpkin Queen, trying to grow the biggest pumpkin for the Circleville Pumpkin Festival was important. In Dog Gone, it becomes essential to Dill to first deny that her mom's dog, Dead End, might be a dog gone bad (it is rumored that he has gotten bloodthirsty and has joined a pack of dogs that is killing livestock), and then to save Dead End from the fate the local farmers have decided he should receive.

Dill has gone several months since her mother's death without once admitting that her mom is dead. It is no wonder that she continues to be in denial about Dog Gone, and then again, when G.D. gets ill and needs to go to the hospital. The last time someone she loved (mom) went to the hospital, they never returned.

Because I tend to be drawn to characters that are so well written they seem real to me, it probably won't come as a surprise when I tell you I loved Dog Gone. I was drawn into the characters' lives, and really cared about them.

But the language in this book is equally engaging:

" 'Your dog stinks worse than roadkill, Dill,' Cub says, wrinkling his nose and puckering his face in a look that screams disgust."

"My stomach curdles. The hot, stuffy air gets thicker and hard to breathe as my fingers uncurl from the twine of a hay bale. I wipe sweat from my face. Hay dust scratches."

"The hurt let out of the smashed jar didn't suffocate me after all. In fact, the crying made me feel lighter, but also stronger somehow. Sure, the pain might still stomp me like an oversized boot, but it won't kill me. I know that now."

I loved Dog Gone on many levels: it made me laugh and cry, it made me care about the characters, and I loved the language. Certainly, it is a book that will stay with me for a while.

Puppy Love on Non Fiction Monday

How could you resist this cover! I saw this on the shelf at my favorite bookstor, Cover to Cover, and bought it without even reading it first, very unusual for me. I knew I loved it just from those puppy dog eyes looking back. Now that I have read it and enjoyed all of the "ahhhh" photos, I'm glad I picked it up.

A Home for Dixie: The True Story of a Rescued Puppy is a short and enjoyable story by high schooler Emma Jackson of Upper Saddle River, New Jersey. Emma has crafted a heart warming story based on her experience of adopting an abandoned puppy. After showing responsibility taking care of a fish, a hamster and then a guinea pig, Emma finally talks her parents into a dog. After much internet research, the family found Aunt Mary's Doghouse. Run by Mary Cody, Aunt Mary's takes in all kinds of abandoned dogs, strays, dogs left at the pound, sick dogs, any dog that needs help and a home. More good news, a portion of the proceeds from the book go to Aunt Mary's Doghouse.

The story continues with Dixie's adjustment to her new surroundings, including learning to sleep alone in a quiet crate. With some help from her friend, Dixie learns to adjust.This book will get a lot of use in the library, just for the pictures alone. Bob Carey's full color photos of Dixie and other puppy friends are full of life and will definitely elicit more "ooohs" and "ahhhhs" than the Fourth of July! When the kids read the story hopefully they will be inspired to help by adopting an abandoned dog or volunteering at an animal shelter. They may also be inspired to write a story just as Emma has done.

For more Non Fiction Monday go here.