When Mr Dog Bites - Softcover

Brian Conaghan

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1408843013 ISBN 13: 9781408843017

Publisher: Bloomsbury Children's Books, 2015

Synopsis

This is an alternative cover edition for ISBN 9781408843017.

Dylan Mint has Tourette’s. For Dylan, life is a constant battle to keep the bad stuff in – the swearing, the tics, the howling dog that escapes whenever he gets stressed. And, as a sixteen-year-old virgin and pupil at Drumhill Special School, getting stressed is something of an occupational hazard.

But then a routine visit to the hospital changes everything. Overhearing a hushed conversation between the doctor and his mother, Dylan discovers that he's going to die next March.

So he grants himself three parting wishes: three ‘Cool Things To Do Before I Cack It’.

It isn’t a long list, but it is ambitious, and he doesn't have much time. But as Dylan sets out to make his wishes come true, he discovers that nothing – and no-one – is quite as he had previously supposed.

A story about life, death, love, sex and swearing, When Mr Dog Bites will take you on one *#@! of a journey . . .

About this title

About the Author

Brian Conaghan lives and works as a teacher in Dublin and has a degree in Creative Writing from the University of Glasgow. When Mr. Dog Bites is his debut American novel.

From School Library Journal

Gr 10 Up—Dylan Mint suffers from Tourette's syndrome. He also just found out he has only eight months to live. He decides the only thing to do is come up with a list of "Cool Things To Do Before I Cack It." The list includes having sex for the first time, finding a new best friend for his best friend Amir, and convincing the army to allow his dad to come home from the war. It's obvious to readers from early on that Dylan is not actually going to die—this belief stems from a misunderstanding at the doctor's office. It is also clear his dad is not actually in the army or at war. This first person account is insightful, engaging, and immerses teens into the world of Tourette's. British and Scottish slang, coupled with Dylan's scattered thought processes, can make it difficult to understand at times. Though the excessive swearing may be off-putting to some readers, the language is authentic, given the protagonist's disorder. This is an uninhibited and compelling look inside the mind of a teen living with Tourette's. The ending, neatly tied up in a bow, seems far-fetched, but readers will root for Dylan nonetheless and would not want to see it end any other way. If they can get past the challenging language, they will be rewarded with a relatable character who has many of the same problems they do.—Tammy Turner, Centennial High School, Frisco, TX

Edition details

• Publisher: Bloomsbury Children's Books
• Publication date: 2015
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1408843013
• ISBN 13: 9781408843017
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 320