Soldier Dog Spl - Softcover

Angus Sam

Softcover

ISBN 10: 144722793X ISBN 13: 9781447227939

Publisher: Pan MacMillan Childrens, 2012

Synopsis

He’ll always be true, faithful and brave, even to the last beat of his heart.

It’s 1917. In the trenches of France, miles from home, Stanley is a boy fighting a man’s war. He is a dog handler, whose dog must be so loyal that he will cross no-man’s-land alone under heavy fire to return to Stanley’s side, carrying a message that could save countless lives. But this journey is fraught with danger, and only the bravest will survive.

As the fighting escalates and Stanley experiences the true horror of war, he comes to realize that the loyalty of his dog is the only thing he can rely on. . .

About this title

About the Author

Sam Angus grew up in Spain. She studied literature at Trinity College, Cambridge, and taught A-level English before becoming a ski-wear designer. She lives between London and Exmoor with an improvident quantity of children, horses, and dogs. Soldier Dog is her first novel.

From Booklist

Stanley believes Da has destroyed Soldier, Stanley’s beloved half-breed pup, so he flees home for the western front of WWI in hopes of locating his brother Tom. It’s no wonder: Da disdains everything and everyone, thrashing around in a bleak, bitter depression ever since his wife died, and making Stanley’s life unbearable. In Angus’ vividly written first novel, based on the British Army’s Messenger Dog Service, Stanley fibs about his age, enlists, learns of the messenger dog service, and becomes a trainer. The dogs work heroically as runners across the battlefields of France, carrying communiqués about enemy whereabouts. The action is highly dramatic, and readers will feel catapulted into the trenches, surrounded on all sides, at a time when an Allied victory was by no means assured. Stanley’s two charges, first Bones and then Pistol, will thrill readers with their canine derring-do. True, the miraculous coincidences pile up a bit awkwardly in this affecting heart-warmer, but you probably won’t find a more exciting dog story out there. Grades 5-8. --Anne O'Malley

Edition details

• Publisher: Pan MacMillan Childrens
• Publication date: 2012
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 144722793X
• ISBN 13: 9781447227939
• Binding: Paperback
• Edition number: 1