Cracker!: The Best Dog in Vietnam [Hardcover]

Cynthia Kadohata (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 2008 | Age Level: 10 and up | Grade Level: 5 and up

Cracker is one of the United States Army’s most valuable weapons: a German shepherd trained to sniff out bombs, traps, and the enemy. The fate of entire platoons rests on her keen sense of smell. She’s a Big Deal, and she likes it that way. Sometimes Cracker remembers when she was younger, and her previous owner would feed her hot dogs and let her sleep in his bed. That was nice, too.
Rick Hanski is headed to Vietnam. There, he’s going to whip the world and prove to his family and his sergeant–and everyone else who didn’t think he was cut out for war–wrong. But sometimes Rick can’t help but wonder that maybe everyone else is right. Maybe he should have just stayed at home and worked in his dad’s hardware store.
When Cracker is paired with Rick, she isn’t so sure about this new owner. He’s going to have to prove himself to her before she’s going to prove herself to him. They need to be friends before they can be a team, and they have to be a team if they want to get home alive.

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 5–8—Bred as a show dog, Magnificent Dawn of Venus von Braun was a German shepherd destined for greatness until a broken leg took her out of contention and into the arms of a boy named Willie. Reminded of the landlord's no-pet policy, the heartbroken boy answers a newspaper ad and Venus, now "Cracker," is accepted into a military canine unit to help soldiers sniff out booby traps in Vietnam. She and her handler, Rick Hanski, quickly bond and head to the front lines. Cracker and Rick's successful missions lead to more dangerous operations and they are ultimately separated during a siege. Critically wounded, Rick is sent home, not knowing what has become of Cracker, and it is a heart-wrenching wait for word on her whereabouts. Kadohata shifts point of view from Willie to Cracker and Rick. While the dog's thoughts and feelings supply the crucial visceral elements associated with her job and her relationship to Willie and Rick, she competes with Rick for top billing as main character. Willie is the story's casualty, as he realizes that Cracker now belongs to Rick. Divided reader empathy aside, the story is filled with action and accurately re-creates the experience of the military canine program, from aspects of training to the battlefield. It's likely to spark readers' interest in this little-known area of military history.—Vicki Reutter, Cazenovia High School, NY
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to an alternate Hardcover edition.

From Booklist

*Starred Review* The author of Kira-Kira (2004) andWeedflower (2006) tells a stirring, realistic story of America's war in Vietnam, using the alternating viewpoints of an army dog named Cracker and her 17-year-old handler, Rick Hanski, who enlists to "whip the world" and avoid a routine job. From their training at a base in the U.S, complete with mean sergeant and close buddies, to their stalking the enemy, the heartfelt tale explores the close bond of the scout-dog team, relating how it detects booby traps and mines, finds the enemy, rescues POWs, and returns home to a heroes' welcome. Throughout the struggle, the dog and the teenager care for one another. There's no background on the conflict ("he didn't and couldn't understand what he was doing here in Vietnam"). Rather, the focus is on how Cracker uses her senses to help the team accomplish its goals, and on her physical bond with Rick, who understands Cracker's every movement. Add this to books in the "Core List: The Vietnam War in Youth Fiction" (2006). Also give it to readers who liked Gary Paulsen's Woodsong (1990). Hazel Rochman
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to an alternate Hardcover edition.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 10 and up
  
• Hardcover
• Publisher: San Val (October 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1417829931
• ISBN-13: 978-1417829934
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (49 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #11,162,661 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Cynthia Kadohata is the author of the Newbery Medal-winning book Kira-Kira, Weedflower, and several critically acclaimed adult novels, including The Floating World. She has published numerous short stories in such literary journals as the New Yorker, Ploughshares, Grand Street, and the Mississippi Review. She lives with her son and dog in West Covina, California.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

24 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Read it twice in one day!, February 26, 2007

By 

Teresa A. Wood "Imagine" (Edmond, OK USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Cracker!: The Best Dog in Vietnam (Hardcover)

I never read, but I love dogs and I love war storied, so when I saw this sitting at the book store, I decided the worst that could happen is it'd just sit around. I picked it up the first chance I got bored and read it, then read it again. It normally takes me 3 weeks to read a full book! This book is just so captivating and lively it's amazing! My dad was in Vietnam and he said they followed all of the details of the vocabulary, the scenery, the procedures and the team themselves to the "T". It's just an AMAZING book and I'd suggest it to kids from as young as 12 to people as old as 95!

16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Courtesy of Teens Read Too, January 26, 2007

By 

TeensReadToo "Eat. Drink. Read. Be Merrier." (All Over the US & Canada) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Cracker!: The Best Dog in Vietnam (Hardcover)

This book tells the story of a Vietnam hero. It's not your usual run-of-the-mill war story because it's told from two points of view. A young soldier named Rick Hanski and a German shepherd he trained for the military share the spotlight as they recount their adventures from training camp to active duty in the jungles of Vietnam.

Cracker and Rick are paired together in training to sniff out bombs, booby-traps, and enemy soldiers. Neither one is too sure of the other at first, but they eventually become inseparable friends and soldiers. Rick's goal is to prove his worth and "whip the world," and Cracker is by his side throughout the experience.

Cynthia Kadohata gives the reader detailed descriptions of the dog training process, as well as a view of the dog handler/animal relationship. The scenes set in Vietnam provide a close-encounter type look that makes the reader feel part of the action.

Cracker is a book for anyone with a love and respect for the intelligence of animals and an interest in how they can interact with and serve humanity.

Reviewed by: Sally Kruger, aka "Readingjunky"

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Not just for dog people..., December 18, 2007

By 

L. K. Messner "Kate Messner" - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Cracker!: The Best Dog in Vietnam (Hardcover)

I know what a gifted writer Cynthia Kadohata is, but I still wasn't expecting to fall in love with this book the way I did. I'm...er...not exactly a dog person. There are certain dogs I really like, but I don't like it when strange dogs come bounding up and jump on me during my morning run. Anyway, I thought this might be a book for dog people, but it's much more than that.

Cynthia Kadohata does a remarkable job letting us inside the minds of Rick, an angry young man who is sent off to Vietnam as a new dog handler and his dog, Cracker. When the narrative slips into Cracker's point of view, it does so seamlessly and convincingly. Not surprisingly, Rick is changed dramatically by his experiences in Vietnam and by the relationship he forges with Cracker. Cracker, too, becomes a different kind of dog - more in tune with her instincts and committed to the job she has been given.

Cracker's story is compelling and eye-opening, and this novel provides a realistic look at what went on in Vietnam while remaining appropriate for older middle grade readers. This is probably one for the 10-14 crowd, and it's not a book that's just for boys. The 7th grade girl I loaned it to this week returned it with a glowing review the next day.

Meanwhile, I'm still wiping my eyes, but in a good way. Cracker, Rick, and Cynthia Kadohata won my heart with this one - a historical novel and dog story that's not just for dog lovers and history buffs, but for all of us.