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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
The Dog Days of Charlotte Hayes, March 8, 2010
This review is from: The Dog Days of Charlotte Hayes (Hardcover)
When I was a boy, I was not a pet person, let alone a dog person. But it wasn't necessarily by choice. My parents were not pet people therefore, my sister and I grew up pet-less. After we went off to college my younger brother rescued a kitten from the tennis courts in town (high schoolers had been pelting it with tennis balls) and my parents allowed him to keep it. Figures! We leave and now the family takes in a pet! Since then, my sister and I have both taken in cats. It's funny how they can become such an important part of your family. In the past, a book like THE DOG DAYS OF CHARLOTTE HAYES would not have gotten much of a reaction out of me. But anymore, I have to turn the television channel when those sad abandoned pet commercials come on!
Charlotte Hayes is not a dog person. But somebody has to take care of Beauregard (the Saint Bernard her father bought because he just can't say "no" to a great deal). Since no one else in the family is jumping at the responsibility, Charlotte feels compelled to fill his water bowl daily, feed him, and rub his belly. But she doesn't like it. And Beauregard deserves a better life. A life he doesn't have to spend chained up in the backyard, rain or shine. He deserves a family that will love him and give him attention. A family with a yellow kitchen and a soft plaid dog bed, just like in Charlotte's dream. When her dad refuses to let Beauregard go (possibly to a family that will appreciate him), Charlotte takes it upon herself to make her dream a reality.
It'd be easy to describe this book as a "dog story" about a girl that doesn't like dogs. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if that's what author Marlane Kennedy had in mind when pitching this idea. I think that would be a little misleading though, because it was obvious from page 1 that Charlotte is not quite as annoyed by the furry canine as she claims to be. Sure she tells us through her fun, first-person narrative, that her care for Beauregard is more out of pity than kindness, but her actions speak louder than words. There's something sweet in the way Charlotte talks to Beauregard, in the way she bathes him with her sister Agnes' strawberry shampoo, and how she builds him a makeshift extension for the roof of his too-small doghouse to help keep him dry during rainstorms. The pride she feels in successfully teaching Beauregard how to "shake" and her change in sleeping habits near the end of the novel prove there's more than pity behind her actions. She loves this dog, which makes her mission all the more heartwrenching.
I couldn't help but feel annoyed with the adults in this novel, especially Charlotte's father. Time and time again, he proves to be lazy, immature, and selfish. He neglectfully forgets to take care of Beauregard, but argues profusely to keep him. I didn't understand it. One particularly infuriating scene takes place at a garage sale (Daddy loves a good bargain). Charlotte wants her Daddy to buy a set of paints for her. Daddy doesn't want to buy them until he overhears a couple talking about how great of a deal they are. Daddy then buys the paints . . . but not for Charlotte! For himself! Never once has he shown an interest in painting, and suddenly he buys up a set of paints that his daughter wanted and rubs it in her face by using them all in front of her. Sure by the end of the book Charlotte has moved on but seriously . . . what kind of parent does that?
Later, after Charlotte's scheme is revealed to her parents, they agree to give her three months to raise enough dough ($400) to send Beauregard to a proper Saint Bernard rescue organization. In doing so, she's sacrificing her birthday gifts for the year. Mama even jokes "Well, after she's done paying for him, she should be responsible for buying his bags of dog food too." Who taught these two how to parent? Someone forgot to remind them that THEY were the ones to purchase the dog and that THEY were the ones too irresponsible to take care of it. So now it's okay to take out their frustrations on the poor kid who's trying to make the best of the situation? They are insane!
Despite their poor parenting skills, I really enjoyed this tearjerker of a book. It's short chapters make for a quick and easy read and the touching scenes between Charlotte and Beauregard are great. I got the feeling that this book was set smack dab in the middle of a chaotic time for this family. New baby, new dog, lots of new challenges and by the end of the book, you sense a return to normalcy for this family, even though we don't really know what their normal is. Daddy annoyed me throughout but Mama's transformation from post pardem depression is believable. The character of Petunia was necessary for Charlotte to see Beauregard in a different light. Petunia's loneliness paralleled Beauregard's loneliness nicely and forces Charlotte to own up to her growing feelings for the dog.
Couple this book with ME AND THE PUMPKIN QUEEN and I think Marlane Kennedy is an author worth paying attention to.
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A Dog Story With A Real Twist, June 3, 2009
This review is from: The Dog Days of Charlotte Hayes (Hardcover)
This is a dog story with a real twist: the narrator, 11-year-old Charlotte Hayes, tells us right up front that she is not a dog person. She doesn't hate them or fear them; she just doesn't go all gooey when she sees a puppy. Yet she ends up taking total care of the Saint Bernard her dad bought as a bargain. He brought the dog home, named him Killer, and then pretty much forgot about him.
Charlotte has renamed the dog Beauregard. She's the one who makes sure he has water, feeds him, and scratches his tummy. She talks to him, confiding that it's not fair he has such a boring life, chained next to a doghouse that's too small for him. It's also not fair to Charlotte, she figures, because she shouldn't have to take care of a dog at all.
But Beauregard is not Charlotte's only problem. As the story begins, her mom is suffering a terrible case of the blues. Charlotte's big sister overhears her dad telling someone that his wife has postpartum depression. Mama used to be a happy person who ran in the morning. But nine-month-old Justin Lee is still waking her up at night. Thus she is worn out and constantly cranky.
When Charlotte pleads for Beauregard to be allowed inside, Mama won't hear of it. After all, like all Saint Bernards, he drools. Daddy won't listen to Charlotte's pointed remarks about poor Beauregard's dreary life, refusing to even consider giving the dog away. He seems content to just own the dog, even though he no longer interacts with him. Charlotte can't bear it. She must figure out some way for both her and Beauregard to have a happy ending to their shared sad tale.
Grace Walters is the new girl in Charlotte's class. Beautiful and rich, she lives in a new mansion in town. Charlotte decides that Grace would be the perfect new owner for a drooling Saint Bernard. In fact, maybe Grace's father would offer Daddy a huge amount of money for Beauregard. That would solve every problem: the dog would have a wonderful home, and Daddy would also be happy. That goal pushes Charlotte to make friends with the extremely shy newcomer. And when Grace invites her over, she puts her plan into action. But no matter how many ideas she comes up with for Beauregard, she keeps running into major roadblocks.
Charlotte's story is often funny, but with a poignant undertone that just may cause readers to sniffle as they read to the end. Author Marlane Kennedy does a wonderful job with characters who are so realistic, the reader expects to bump into them at the grocery store. It's to her credit that easy-going Daddy is a truly likable sort, even though he is casually neglectful of Beauregard. In fact, this book has everything: a sympathetic heroine with a goal who keeps being thwarted at every turn, but doesn't give up; a distinct sense of place; unexpected alliances; and interesting secondary characters.
I found THE DOG DAYS OF CHARLOTTE HAYES to be a delightful and compelling read (I devoured it in two sittings), topped off with a satisfying conclusion. Very highly recommended.
--- Reviewed by Terry Miller Shannon
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A Book for Dog People and Non-Dog People, too, March 27, 2009
This review is from: The Dog Days of Charlotte Hayes (Hardcover)
Charlotte Hayes is not a dog person. She tolerates them okay, but she doesn't love them the way her father and older sister do. And yet, she's the one who is taking care of the family dog, a big, friendly Saint Bernard. Poor Beauregard (or Killer, depending on who you ask) spends all day chained up in the backyard. Charlotte spends some time with him after school, but she can tell he isn't happy.
So Charlotte decides it is time for her to find a new home for the family pet. Her initial attempt is met by a family who insists they want the dog even if they won't spend any time with it. Can Charlotte come up with a plan that will reduce her family's resistance and find Beauregard a loving home?
This is truly a heart warming book from beginning to end. I'm not much of a dog person myself, but I fell under Beauregard's spell from the first chapter. Yet I was rooting for Charlotte to find him a good home without getting into too much trouble. And I will admit I had tears in my eyes at the ending.
The book includes quite a few sub-plots, which help make Charlotte's world feel even more real. Her entire family seemed quite real to me, even the baby brother. A couple of Charlotte's friends are also developed in a realistic way.
The book is targeted at late elementary school, and I'd say it is perfect for them.
I may be a tad older than that audience, but I enjoyed the book as well. It is simple but touching.
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