The story goes on to tell how he adjusts to live in America, going to school in his ESL classes, meeting new friends, and finding a way to care for Gol, the cow.  But all the while he worries about his mother back in Sudan.  Everyone says he probably won’t see her again.  He just can’t accept that.  What do you think will happen?

Read this Maud Hart Lovelace reading list entry for a new way to think about students who come to our country–and our school–directly from another country.

This is two stories which seem to alternate, but come together magically at the end. A calico cat meets a hound dog and an unusual friendship begins. When Sabine and Puck are born to the calico cat, the four become an odd family. Gar Face is the owner of Ranger, the dog, is mean and causes tragedy to the new family. In the other story, a shape-shifting water serpent has been asleep in the Piney Woods mystical forest and is coming to life again. Although it seems like a typical animal story or a good versus evil story, it is more.

The cover is not fitting of the book. Keep in mind the old saying, “Don’t judge the book by it’s cover.”

There are many heroes in this story, most very surprising so I can’t tell you who they are here.  I can say that very-scary Biology teacher, Mrs. Bunny Starch, takes her class, including good guys Nick and Marta, to the Black Vine Swamp and ends up disappearing very mysteriously.  While on the field trip, Nick is on the lookout for a panther, but then the trip is cut short by a wildfire of mysterious origin that scares them all back to the buses. And where is Duane Scrod, Jr., aka “Smoke,” whose last class interaction with Mrs. Starch ended badly!

So many great characters in this story, and lots of good side stories to keep you reading and wondering how it’s all going to turn out.  Hoot, Flush, Scat…what will come next?

Chapters alternate between hearing the story from the point of view of both Maya and Artemisia. The reader gets to know Maya and struggles with her as she patiently survives her life with her domineering grandmother and then adjusts to her new life with her mother’s relatives.  Animal lovers, especially those who like horses, will really enjoy this book, but so will anyone who just wants a good story.

How to Steal a Dog by Barbara O’Connor

What would you do if you needed money, needed money fast? Georgina is faced with this question as her life drastically changes. Without notice she is living with her mother and brother in a car. Even though her mom is working two jobs, they don’t have enough money for the down payment and the first months rent. Since there only money is quarters and dollars in a jar, Georgina figures out a plan to help.

Although this book has some humorous situations, the topic of the book is serious. Georgina and her family are struggling. The events in this book give “a small dose” of the reality of being homeless. Her best friend begins to distance herself while her family struggles with every day aspects of eating and keeping clean. As the family struggles, they have little help from anyone.

This all happens against the backdrop of a strange disease that seems to be killing off all of the dogs in the area, but not before the dogs become sick enough to viciously attack anyone or anything around them.  This part of the book made it feel a little like a eerie, Stephen King-type book where forces beyond anyone’s control are building up for a bad ending!

Can’t say this was the best book ever.  Maybe there were a few too many coincidences. However it did keep me reading to see what happened with Logan, his family and Jack.

Matthias is a mouse at Redwall Abbey and is instrumental in protecting the Abbey and other animals from Cluny the Scourge, a rat. He needs to find the sword of Martin the Warrior in order to be a threat to Cluny. This task requires the help of many characters. Several battles and adventures occur as Matthias gains ground on Cluny, but loses family and friends in the process.

After the accidental death of their mother seven years ago, Will has been forced to take on the responsibility of caring for his brother so their father can run their ranch in 1940’s Colorado. But Will has trained himself in all the rodeo skills and only wants to leave the ranch to be a rodeo star and lead the life of a cowboy. When his father says he can’t leave for the upcoming rodeo he’s been practicing for, Will decides to take off on his horse and go anyway. He hadn’t gone far when he looked back and there was Denny following him. Then bad things start happening, beginning with a rattle snake biting Denny.

Characters in books usually have some kind of effect on me, depending on how it relates to my life experience. (Remember I’m old and have 2 grown daughters.) If the main character is a kid and adults around him/her are doing something stupid or mean, I become very protective of the kid. But sometimes the kid as the main character just does stupid things, and all I can think is, “What are you thinking?!” That was the case for this book. While I understood why Will needed to do something to declare his independence from caring for his brother his whole life, it was his attitude and the things he continued to do that just made me angry. “Don’t do this to your brother!”

I listened to this book on CD so maybe it was the rather whiny way it was read that affected my opinion. It actually annoyed me so much, I almost didn’t finish it. But I pressed on to get to the pretty satisfying ending with lessons learned all around.

Before they send Logan to “boot camp,” they try to teach him responsibility by getting him a dog. Unfortunately Robert’s idea of a dog and Logan’s are completely different. Logan wins this one and gets a dog from the pound. Actually he is doing a great job training it even though Robert is appalled when it goes pee outside in the yard. According to Robert he should pee on the sidewalk. Yes, he really is a jerk. A series of events happen and Logan is forced to go to “boot camp.”

While all of this is happening a dog disease is infecting most dogs and some humans. People are going crazy and shooting dogs. The disease is horrible, and it seems that all dogs will eventually need to be killed. Remember the title is The Last Dog on Earth.
I recommend this book for anyone who believes that dogs are incredible animals.