Lin, Grace. Year of the Dog

[Tess]

While I have not yet read this book, I suggest we all take a look at it. I enjoy Lin's picture books and am thrilled that she has written a chapter book.

[Tess]

This book belongs on the Mock Newbery list. Lin does a great job of speaking in a child's voice of her experiences. I especially like how she intersperses stories within her novel. I wish she would have shaded some of her pen/ink drawings in the book. Becky appears more blonde than brown-haired to me and the drawing of Grace's cat costume doesn't quite match her description. Minor points, though.

[Mary]

Thanks for the recommendation! I will move this book up on my pile of "to be read."

[Mary]

I really enjoyed reading The Year of the Dog. I agree that the author does a very fine job of speaking in a child's voice of her experiences. Like Tess, I also enjoyed the stories scattered within the novel. It was also nice to read a book featuring an intact (and well-functioning) family. I agree that this book should be on our Mock Newbery list.

[heather]

I also enjoyed this book. I liked the supportive family and the voice of the narrator. It is refreshing to read a book about a regular family that is not experiencing a crisis.

[gbishop]

I feel bad saying this but The Year of the Dog was just an ok book for me. I loved the stories mom told, actually mom's stories were more interesting to me than the actual story being told. And, I have to admit it was nice to have mother and father both living in the same house and actually involved with their children's lives. I guess I'm hooked on a little mystery or adventure in my reading and it just wasn't there. Like the problem with the science fair project. I think there should have been more emotions involved with this incident but it just happened and life went on.

[deba]

I was glad to see a quality title at this reading level on the list. With all the hype about "middle grade" and YA lit right now, I think this level is losing out as far as publisher interest. I found this to be a dead-on coming of age kind of story, with believable characters and family situations. The cultural info was enlightening, (I loved the stories), but actually, in the end, I felt served to show more of the similarities between some of the issues kids and families face, as opposed to differences. I think the ink drawings add a unique quality, and definitely add to the text.

[Becky]

What a good book! Lin wanted to write a book like the Betsy books that she enjoyed as a child but with Chinese main characters -- she did that but she did so much more. (Although I've never read those Betsy books --maybe I will now.) This book was such an honest look at the 4th-5th grade years (best friends liking the same boys; best friends trying to win blue ribbons because it's their lucky year; branching out and doing something different from youor best friend; watching a best friend win when you don't; winning when you aren't expecting it; trying to figure out what you're supposed to be because people expect you to do that)-- and I learned a lot about being Chinese. Like Tess, I wanted the pictures to match the descriptions (Science Fair was all wrong too). But I loved the book--the author used the language beautifully but subtly.

[DianeB]

In the beginning I did not know where the book was heading, then I became enchanted by the main character. This is a great book for all students, regardless of their ethnic background. I also loved the positive reinforcement she received from her mother.