VVMBookBlog

Logan is angry–angry at his control-freak step-father Robert, angry at his mother for not defending him against Robert’s sometimes strange actions, and angry at how all the forces in his life seem to be working against him.  And his anger causes him to do some dumb things.  Then, in order to teach Logan some “discipline and responsibility,” Robert decides that Logan needs a dog, which ends up being a mutt–a female named Jack–from the animal shelter.

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.

Goose Girl by Shannon Hale

Anidori-Kiladra Talianna Isilee (Ani) is the Crown Princess of Kildenree. This basically means she is the next in line to the thrown. Her mother has taken great care to train her for this position, but Ani may not be quite up for the task. Although Ani does do as she’s asked, she’s more comfortable spending time with birds and other animals. Things go terribly wrong, and Ani’s brother is set to take over the thrown while Ani is sent to another kingdom. Once again things go terribly wrong, and Ani becomes a peasant and needs to beg people in order to get a job and food. She becomes the “goose girl” in charge of the king’s geese. In an extraordinary series of events Ani has the chance to stop a war and meet some wonderful (and not so wonderful) people. This book as a fighting, survival, romance, and adventure. Goose Girl is for those who love books about princes and princesses with a lots of action. Although I thought it was a bit difficult to get started with the story, I really liked the book in the end.

Redwall by Brian Jacques

Redwall is another book that has been a favorite for years. I was a bit apprehensive because the main character, Matthias, is a mouse. This book, however, has a lot of action. It reminded me of the way I felt about Hawksong being a book I enjoyed even though I am always hesitant when animals are the main characters. Because of the suspense I kept reading to see if Matthias would be successful in his endeavor.

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.

The title of this book refers to a scar two twin brothers, Will and Denny, have on their fingers where they have sworn their loyalty to each other as brothers. But they are twins in name only as Denny is disabled in his mental and some physical abilities, and his appearance is different from Will’s.

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.

The Last Dog on Earth by Daniel Ehrenhaft

Logan Moore has a list of everything he hates which changes constantly because his life is not that great. His father abandoned him when he was seven and his stepfather, Robert, is a JERK (this my belief as well as Logan’s). Unfortunately most of the time his mom goes along with the crazy ideas her husband has such as sending Logan to “boot camp.” Although Logan does make some bad choices, he does not deserve the punishments given to him by Robert.

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.