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What's That In Dog Years?

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BfK No. 238 - September 2019
BfK 238 September 2019

This issue’s cover illustration is from Cookie and the Most Annoying Boy in the World written and illustrated by Konnie Huq. Thanks to Piccadilly Press for their help with this September cover.
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What's That In Dog Years?

Julia Christians and Ben Davis
(OUP Oxford)
304pp, FICTION, 978-0192749215, RRP £6.99, Paperback
8-10 Junior/Middle
Buy "What's That in Dog Years?" on Amazon

George has one faithful friend who he can rely on absolutely-Gizmo, his beloved dog. They have been together for the whole of George's life but Gizmo is now elderly with not long left to live. George decides to compile a bucket list of Gizmo's favourite things and to do them all with him before Gizmo dies.

However, there are obstacles to this ambition-his parents' divorce, which leaves little money to spare, and the disintegration of his long-term friendship with Matt, who has shifted his allegiance to the two school bullies, in a effort to be seen as cool. George's panic attacks-the result of a bad accident two years earlier-do not help, earning him the derision and cruelty of the bullies.

All seems bleak until the arrival of Lib, also a figure of fun to the boys as a result of her deprived background. She provides George with a lifeline, training Gizmo to win a dog competition which provides the money for the longed-for trip to Golden Beach, Gizmo's final treat.

What's That In Dog Years? is a classic tearjerker - I certainly cried when Gizmo died - and because it is partly told by Gizmo it gives his character an extra dimension. Substantial issues are cleverly incorporated into the text; the nature of friendship, the significance of social class, society's outsiders and the tensions of married life. This is a book ripe for discussion-and, in addition, a rattling good read.

Reviewer: 
Val Randall
4
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