Customer Reviews

Dog Gone

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Dylan, called Dill for short lives on a farm in Virginia with her dad and grandfather. She spends lots of time working at a stable and riding horses and with her best friend Cub. Dead End, Dill's dog has been running away. Seems he's looking for Dill's mom who recently died. When a dog pack begins attacking farm animals, Dill and Cub spend every free moment searching for Dead End hoping he is not one of the dogs killing animals. This book is thrilling, sad and hopeful and full of love and friendship. Recommended for upper elementary students who enjoy animal stories.

This is a wonderfully written story about the love of a dog by a girl who has just undergone a tragic life experience with the loss of her mother. Very insightful with a happy ending ! A perfect life experience for those 9-13 year olds who are the target audience of this new author. I would definitely recommend this book !

A multi-layered story about grief, confronting fear head-on, and finding hope and healing.

Dill can't face the loss of her mother to cancer, and life just keeps kicking her when she's down. She has an ailing grandpa, a grieving father, and a dog that may be killing local livestock. Just how far will Dill go to save the dog that belonged to her mother? And at what cost?

Dog Gone is a great read for middle schoolers, particularly those who love dogs and horses.

A beautifully told story about a girl who is emotionally running away from the recent death of her beloved mother and about how life won't let her. The tension between what the reader knows the main character, Dil, is doing and what she believes she is doing makes this wonderfully poignant and rich. Lots of other great characters including Dil's charming best friend Cub, her colorful grandfather, and her increasingly distant father who has his own wounds to heal. The farm country setting and animal focus make this broadly appealing on a whole other level. Highly recommended!

I just finished Dog Gone and felt compelled to write a review. This book moved me in a way I hadn't expected. Having been raised in the South, it was great to visit it once again through the sights, sounds, and characters the author uses to tell the tale of a girl struggling with the loss of her mother and the possible loss of her beloved dog--who may or may not be doing something harmful to the local farmers' livestock. Like an engine leaving the station, the tension slowly builds in the story until it races past you and you can no longer put the book down. Then, the climactic scene in the driveway, leaves you breathless and teary-eyed as the main character's realization or what has been and what will be smacks her and you, the reader, in the face. It was a powerful moment and speaks to the great command this writer has over her craft. This is a gripping, must-read novel for school-age children and adults. Kudos to Cynthia Chapman Willis. I can't wait to read her next book!