"Planet Of The Dogs" by Robert J. McCarty

Planet of the Dogs by Robert J. McCarty is a delightful book for children with some drawings included.  It is a tale that takes place long before any dogs were on the earth.  Because of greed on the Earth, the Stone City Warriors were getting ready to attack Green Valley and take what didn’t belong to them.  The dogs had a meeting and decided to help the people on Earth remember how to love again by sending dogs down to show them how.  Only children can hear what the dogs say.  No one had seen or heard a dog before but they quickly found out they are wonderful creatures.  They made people smile, helped the sick feel better, helped herd the sheep and protect the farms from intruders, run off bears and rescue children from drowning.  I liked how the Planet of the Dogs sent lots of dogs to Earth so that every family who wanted one could have one. 

Our dog, Abby, gives this book 4 paws up!  She loved how the dogs came to the rescue and many found new homes on Earth with families of their own.  She also liked how the dogs all worked together and barked and wagged their approval of the rescue plan.

 

I think this book would make children want a dog of their own.  The author does a fantastic job of creating a word picture of the excitement of the dogs that reminded me of how our dog gets and made me feel as though I were right there with them!  Planet Of The Dogs is a short, quick read, perfect for reading a chapter or two each night as a bedtime story to be continued.  This is the first book of a series.  The other two are Castle In the Mist and Snow Valley Heroes—A Christmas Tale.  This whole series will be available in our Follower Appreciation Giveaway in November.

Thanks to the author for giving us a complimentary copy for reviewing.

Have you read this one? What did you think of it?

"The Pelican Brief" by John Grisham

The Pelican Brief by John Grisham is about Darby Shaw, a law student who does some research into a possible suspect who had two Supreme Court Justices assassinated.  She finds herself on the run when her brief makes it all the way to the FBI, CIA and the President.  There is a lot of killing in this book and Darby realizes she is in danger.  This is a real thriller because Darby doesn’t know who to trust.  She finally trusts Gray, an investigative reporter at the Washington Post who admires her and together they work at getting evidence.  It’s quite an elaborate story. 

I liked it because Darby was so smart when she was running for her life.  It was hard to believe she was able to outfox professional hit men, but at the same time, it was fun to see her doing it.  It has quite a bit of action which helped hold my interest.  It’s not my favorite Grisham book, but it is pretty good.

"Alex And Me" by Irene Pepperberg

"Alex And me" by Irene Pepperberg is an amazing story about Alex, a gray parrot, and the woman who worked with him, Irene Pepperberg. As you read the story you forget that this is a parrot. He is not supposed to be learning and doing what he is doing. Also, the friendship between Alex and Irene is very touching. If you're looking for a nice short book to read, choose this one! A Remarkable Story (8 stars)

(Gerard's review 2/25/09)

Have you read this one? What did you think of it?

Teaser Tuesday: "Fragile" & "The Pelican Brief"

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along, so I thought I would play for fun! Just do the following:

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teaser. 

Gerard's:

Even when he hated his father--and sometimes he really, really did--there was still a part of him that waited like a puppy for a bone.  Anything--a smile, a pat on the shoulder.  Anything.

From p. 57 of Fragile by Lisa Unger.

Karen's:

In two hundred and twenty years, we've assassinated four Presidents, two or three candidates, a handful of civil rights leaders, couple of governors, but never a Supreme Court Justice.  And now, in one night, within two hours, two are assassinated.

From p. 39 of The Pelican Brief by John Grisham.

"Room" by Emma Donoghue--A Must Read For Moms

Imagine being five years old and knowing only one room your whole life with just your mom, a TV and books.  That’s the situation Jack is in in Room by Emma Donoghue.  I loved Jack!  This book is very interesting and very funny too.  Ma is really good also, but Jack steals the show.  I liked the ending too!  Enjoy!.
(Gerard's review)

Room by Emma Donoghue is an unusual story about the love between a mother and child. It is told Jack when he is five. His mother was abducted at 19 and has been kept locked up in a one-room shed for seven years. She was raped by her kidnapper, Old Nick, and had Jack. The only world Jack knew was the one room for the first five years of his life until one day, Ma felt he was old enough to help them escape. The mother's main focus was to keep Jack safe from Old Nick.

I enjoyed all the things the mother did with Jack every day. They had a TV and a few books for entertainment. They never got outside until they tricked Old Nick. Jack was a hero and the rest of the book was about Jack learning about real life outside of the room and his mother readjusting to living again. I think the mother did an amazing job with Jack under the circumstances. I liked that it has a happy ending and think any mother would enjoy this book.
(Karen's Review)

Have you read this one? What did you think of it?

Related Posts:  Life With Books reviewed ROOM too and thought it was great.
For a different view, see Parchment Girl's review--she did not like Ma or Jack!