Everything for a Dog by Ann M. Martin (Macmillan/Feiwel & Friends, $16.99, 9780312386511/0312386516, 224pp., ages 9-12, September 2009)
This story of Bone, sibling to the canine hero of A Dog's Life, Squirrel, is even better than its companion. Not only because Martin completely immerses readers in Bone's world--which the dog perceives solely through scents and sounds in pursuit of survival--but also because of a more complex narrative structure that never calls attention to itself. The chapters alternate between three characters: Bone's first-person narration, and the third-person accounts of both a nine-year-old boy named Charlie and an 11-year-old boy named Henry. Those who've read Squirrel's story will recognize Bone's beginnings as an orphaned pup after the canine siblings' mother disappears suddenly. But the author soon follows Bone's path into his own adventure. Charlie's chapters flash back to his family's devastating loss of Charlie's older eighth-grader brother, RJ ("Charlie notes that nobody can admit that RJ died. He has simply become lost"). The only comfort Charlie finds is in the way RJ's dog, Sunny, gradually becomes the kind of companion to Charlie that he once was to RJ. Henry has wanted a dog for more than two years and more so now that his best friend, Matthew, has moved away. Bone's narrative lets us know that he is the stray who mysteriously appears in Henry's neighborhood and whom Henry tries to train as his "secret outdoor dog." Each subplot will keep readers quickly turning the pages for the sense of adventure and the hint of mystery, but the payoff comes at the end when Martin brings the three threads together in a thoroughly satisfying ending. At the same time, the author offers caution against the dangers of hunting and a gentle plug for animal rescue. Give this one to fans of DiCamillo's Because of Winn-Dixie and Creech's Love that Dog. Martin's book honors the unique companionship and healing powers that have earned dogs the title of man's best friend, and it will resonate with both the reader who is already a dog owner or who, like Henry, pines to be one.--Jennifer M. Brown
