The Junkyard Dog - Hardcover

Tamar, Erika

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0679870571 ISBN 13: 9780679870579

Publisher: Knopf Books for Young Readers, 1995

Synopsis

When Katie sees the shivering, emaciated dog locked in the junkyard, she know she has to save him. But dogs aren't allowed in her housing project, and money is scarce at home. Then brutally cold weather hits, and Katie knows that the dog will die without shelter--unless she can figure out how to help him. Written in spare prose, here's an inspiring story of responsibility and commitment for young feminists and animal lovers alike.  

About this title

From School Library Journal:

Grade 4-6?When a badly neglected and abused dog that guards the local junkyard unexpectedly comes into 11-year-old Katie's life, the girl decides that she has to help him. "Lucky," as she calls him, shows up at a tumultuous time. Her mother has just married Jim, whose large presence overfills their tiny housing-project apartment, and Katie resents the disruptions he creates in the cozy world she and her mother shared. Also, her best friend is becoming interested in boys and fashion. At Jim's suggestion, Katie gets the gruff junkyard owner's permission to feed the dog. With newfound courage, she scrounges meat scraps from the local butcher, and, again with Jim's help, builds a doghouse. Through the process, she comes to appreciate her stepfather and share her concerns with him. This is a satisfying coming-of-age story, especially for dog lovers, but it has two serious drawbacks. The message about what's important in relationships is didactically presented. And the afterword, in which Tamar solicits contributions for a woman who rescues ill-treated canines, makes one think "For shame, exploiting children's emotions!" Incidentally, the appealing dog and doghouse in the cover illustration do not in any way resemble the descriptions in the text.?Virginia Golodetz, St. Michael's College, Winooski, VT
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Publishers Weekly:

Demonstrating a deep understanding of preadolescent concerns, Tamar (Fair Game) produces a tough-edged but tender story about an 11-year-old and the dog she befriends. Big-hearted Katie can't stand to see a junkyard dog being starved by its owner and abused by a gang of boys in her "mud-flat" neighborhood. Her burly new stepfather, Jim Grady, will let Katie feed the dog, so long as she gets permission from its owner and pays for the dog food herself. Later, under Jim Grady's supervision and with the unlikely assistance of a rowdy classmate named Daniel, she constructs a waterproof dog house. Besides conveying a strong message about neglectful pet owners, Tamar deftly introduces a range of issues affecting her heroine-accepting a step-parent, coping with peer pressure and the vagaries of puberty; living in a housing project. Katie learns to make sacrifices and overcome frustrations, in the process gaining self-confidence and trust in others. This character truly earns the happy ending to her story, and it is one sure to satisfy readers. Ages 8-12.
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.

About this edition

• Publisher: Knopf Books for Young Readers
• Publication date: 1995
• ISBN 10: 0679870571
• ISBN 13: 9780679870579
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 185