Just a Dog - Hardcover

Bauer, Michael Gerard

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0545374529 ISBN 13: 9780545374521

Publisher: Scholastic Press, 2012

Synopsis

Sometimes a dog isn't just a dog--sometimes he's the glue the holds a whole family together.

Mr. Mosely is a special dog. Not just because he's so big (he's part Great Dane.) Not just because he's all white (with one black spot under his eye and a heart shaped splotch on his chest.) Not just because he's clumsy, or because of tricks (he only knows one, and it's not very good.) He's special because he seems to know exactly what everyone in Corey's family needs, even when they don't know themselves. This is the story of Mr. Mosely, from his puppyhood to the last time he curls up on the back porch. It's the story of how sometimes a dog isn't "just a dog". Sometimes he's the glue the holds a whole family together.

About this title

About the Author:

Michael Gerard Bauer was born and lives in Brisbane Australia. In 2000 he resigned from his full-time position as an English/Economics teacher to pursue his dream of becoming a writer.

In 2004 his first YA novel The Running Man was published to great acclaim. It subsequently won the 2005 Children's Book Council of Australia (CBCA) Book of the Year for Older Readers. awards.

In 2007 his second novel, a 'laugh out loud' comedy entitled Don't Call Me Ishmael! was short-listed in both the CBCA awards and was also included in the 2007 White Ravens selection for Outstanding International Books for children and young adults. Its sequel Ishmael and the Return of the Dugongs was a 2008 CBCA Notable book and the final book in the trilogy Ishmael and the Hoops of Steel was again shortlisted for the 2012 CBCA awards.

Michael's other books include, Dinosaur Knights a 2010 CBCA Notable Book described as 'an original and adrenalin-pumping adventure' and Just a Dog which was a 2011 CBCA Honour Book and the winner of the 2011 Qld Premiers Award.

Michael's latest book Eric Vale Epic Fail, the first in a series of three, was released in November 2012 and is fully illustrated by his son Joe, a young film-maker. Joe's trailer for Eric Vale Epic Fail can be seen on youtube.

These days Michael is a full time writer. His books are widely set as school texts and he is in high demand for talks and workshops at schools and Festivals around Australia. He has also enjoyed three very successful visits to Indonesia as a writer in residence at the Jakarta International School (2007 and 2008) and the British International School (2008) as well as a week at the American Community School in Abu Dhabi. In 2010 he was a guest author at the White Ravens International Children's and Youth Literature Festival in Munich Germany and in 2012 he was invited to be part of the Edinburgh Book Festival in Scotland in 2012.

Michael's books are currently sold in around 20 countries including the UK and the USA.

From School Library Journal:

Gr 4-6-Bauer pulls no punches in this story about a loyal dog and his family. Warm, fuzzy, and funny moments abound, but the going gets rough in the last few chapters, when life and love prove just how messy and painful these feelings can be. The narrator is young Corey Ingram, and thanks to Bauer's adept style, the book reads very much like a boy's endearing, rambling recollection of misadventures with a beloved pet. Mr. Mosely is a Great Dane mix, a well-intentioned bull in a china shop entirely devoted to his people. The heartbreak begins when Moe is hit by a car; he recovers, but the accident itself and the moments after are gut-wrenching. Moe later succumbs to cancer, and the family's efforts to care for him in his last days are strikingly tender. At the same time, Corey's parents are having struggles of their own, and the tension comes to a head in the backyard over the dog's body. There is no tidy, happy ending. Corey's parents remain together, but the relationship is uneasy. Corey recalls Moe's serene personality and vows that he, too, will wait and hope for good things to come. Kids experiencing similar stressors will find honest company in this unflinching story of the risks and rewards of all kinds of relationships.-Alyson Low, Fayetteville Public Library, ARα(c) Copyright 2011. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

About this edition

• Publisher: Scholastic Press
• Publication date: 2012
• ISBN 10: 0545374529
• ISBN 13: 9780545374521
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 144