Review: Soldier Dog

Info:

Title: Soldier Dog
Author: Sam Angus
Publisher: Feiwel & Friends
Publication Date: April 16, 2013
Source: I received an ARC in exchange for a honest review

Synopsis:

With his older brother gone to fight in the Great War, and his father prone to sudden rages, 14-year-old Stanley devotes himself to taking care of the family’s greyhound and puppies. Until the morning Stanley wakes to find the puppies gone.

Determined to find his brother, Stanley runs away to join an increasingly desperate army. Assigned to the experimental War Dog School, Stanley is given a problematic Great Dane named Bones to train. Against all odds, the pair excels, and Stanley is sent to France.

But in Soldier Dog by Sam Angus, the war in France is larger and more brutal than Stanley ever imagined. How can one young boy survive and find his brother with only a dog to help?

Review:

I was very apprehensive to start this one for the same reasons that I've never seen War Horse. I'm a huge animal lover and I hate thinking of them being hurt even a little bit, let alone going through the horrors of war. But, I gathered up my courage and read this one anyway. And it was every bit as sad as I expected, but also more interesting than I expected.

This is one of those books you need to read beside a box of tissues. I kept a personal "cry counter" on this one and I believe my final tally was 5 bouts of tears. Two of which were full out sobbing. Just so you can't say I didn't warn you.

A book that makes you cry that much must be doing something right (although I'm sure I'd cry in a poorly written book on the same subject). I found Soldier Dog to be well written and engaging. I cared deeply about Stanley and even more about Bones and Soldier.

The thing I didn't expect was to be interested in the war aspect as well. I found this book to be very well researched and really informative. I'm about as far from a war buff as you can be, but I actually enjoyed learning about how dogs were used as messengers in WWI. So hooray for learning something!

The only other I'd question on this one is it's suitability for younger readers. The grade range on this one is 4-7. I'm not sure is a 10-year-old could handle this book. It destroyed me and I turn 25 this week! However, on that note, this book might be good for boys interested in war to get them reading. But there were images in this one that are terribly haunting and awful and I bawled as I read them. The use of gas was absolutely terrifying and devastating, so this one is not for more sensitive young readers.

Soldier Dog is an extremely moving look at the use of canine soldiers in WWI, as well as the journey of a brave young man who leaves his safe life in England to face the unknown horrors of war. This one will have you bawling you eyes out and feeling so thankful that your pets won't have to go through the terrible situations war dogs did.

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Review: One + One = Blue

Info:

Title: One + One = Blue
Author: M.J. Auch
Publisher: Henry Holt and Co. (BYR)
Publication Date: April 20, 2013
Source: I received an ARC from the publisher in exchange for an honest review

Blurb:

Twelve year-old Basil knows he’s special—he’s been associating numbers with colors since he was a kid. His gift (or curse) has turned him into somewhat of a loner, but his world begins to change when he meets Tenzie, the new girl in school who has similar freakisms. She, too, has synesthesia (a condition in which one type of stimulation evokes the sensation of another). At first, Basil is somewhat annoyed with Tenzie’s pushiness, but after Basil’s estranged mother returns, his life is turned upside down . . . and Tenzie may be the only person to help him put it back together again.

Once again, MJ Auch has written a thoughtful coming-of-age novel that explores friendship, family, and fitting in.

Review:

One + One = Blue is a quick middle grade read that focuses on Basil, a young loner with synesthesia. Between the arrival of the crazy new girl Tenzie and the return of his even more crazy estranged mother, Basil's world is about to be turned upside down!

I really enjoyed the aspects of the book that focused on synesthesia. I was introduced to in my intro psychology class last year. The class I took was science-focused, so I learned a bit of brain science and when my prof covered synesthesia, it was one of my favourite subjects. There's something about hearing colours or tasting sounds that is just so fascinating! However, synesthesia is more of just a background in this book, which instead focuses on family drama.

It seems that my character frustrations from last week have carried over into this week as well. I really wanted to like these characters! I did! But the only one I ended up enjoying was Grams. She was awesome! I love how she was so creative and also how connected she was to the earth and to her food. She had chickens in her backyard, which is something I want when I finally move to my dream acreage. Unfortunately, she was the only one I really enjoyed. While Basil did improve towards the end, he was so grumpy and a bit whiny in the beginning. He would make mean little comments whenever things weren't going his way and I just wanted him to be nicer to everyone, especially Tenzie. Although his major redeeming quality for me was his thoughtfulness when it came to Grams. Tenzie also got on my nerves a bit. She was so pushy and reckless. But the character that completely drove me up the wall was Basil's mother, Carly. What is wrong with this woman?!?! Do people like this actually exist? I hope not, but I'm sure they do. If you read this one, you'll see what I mean.

Overall, One + One = Blue gives us a glimpse into synesthesia, along with a large dose of family drama. The characters weren't spot on for me, but it's worth a read if you have any interest in synesthesia or psychology in general. And I'm confident the synesthesia parts are legit, since the author blurb states that MJ Auch has synethesia herself. How cool!

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