The Field of the Dogs - Softcover

Paterson, Katherine

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0064421473 ISBN 13: 9780064421478

Publisher: HarperCollins, 2002

Synopsis

Since moving to Vermont, Josh's life has been a series of new problems. One day he follows his dog, Manch, into a snowy field and gets the surprise of a lifetime--Manch can talk!

Taut and suspenseful, Newbery Medel-winning author Katherine Paterson's exciting chapters are interspersed with Emily Arnold McCully's accomplished pen and ink drawings.

Ages 8-12

About this title

About the Author:

Katherine Paterson is one of the world’s most celebrated and beloved authors. Among her many awards are two Newberys and two National Book Awards, and she was recently named a "Living Legend” by the Library of Congress. She has been published in more than 22 languages in a variety of formats, from picture books to historical novels.

From Publishers Weekly:

Originally published chapter by chapter in newspapers as part of the "Breakfast Serials" program, this disappointing story juggles an uneasy mix of realism and fantasy. Narrator Josh has just moved from Virginia to Vermont with his mother, her new husband and their infant son. During a snow day (forcing his school closing), Josh searches for his dog, Manch, and finds the pooch in a field playing--and laughing--with three canine pals (Manch tells the alpha dog, Ace, that they'll have to set some ground rules for play, and Ace responds, "Well, it's always three to one. Twelve legs to four"). Josh then listens as they talk in human speech about the River Gang, a rival group of larger dogs headed up by a fierce weimaraner. Manch never speaks in human words to Josh again until Ace is badly hurt, hit by a snowplow while fighting with one of the enemy dogs. In a parallel plot, Josh copes with Wes, a bullying classmate and neighbor, whose help he eventually seeks out after making a futile attempt to shoot the weimaraner with his stepfather's rifle as the two dog packs fight. Paterson's (The Smallest Cow in the World) potentially intriguing premise of talking dogs isn't fully integrated into the tale, so it ends up calling attention to itself rather than moving the story forward. Though minimal and sometimes murky, McCully's (Mirette on the High Wire) black-and-white line art may well encourage reluctant readers, as will the book's brief chapters and the text's relatively large type size. Ages 8-12.

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

About this edition

• Publisher: HarperCollins
• Publication date: 2002
• ISBN 10: 0064421473
• ISBN 13: 9780064421478
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 112
• Illustrator: McCully Emily Arnold