A Dog's Life: Autobiography of a Stray [Paperback]

Ann M. Martin (Author)

Book Description

Age Level: 9 and up | Grade Level: 4 and up

Newbery Honor author Ann Martin's "heartwrenching and heartwarming" (Kirkus) dog story, now in paperback, with After Words bonus material.

Squirrel and her brother Bone begin their lives in a toolshed behind someone's summer house. Their mother nurtures them and teaches them the many skills they will need to survive as stray dogs. But when their mother is taken from them suddenly and too soon, the puppies are forced to make their own way in the world, facing humans both gentle and brutal, busy highways, other animals, and the changing seasons. When Bone and Squirrel become separated, Squirrel must fend for herself, and in the process makes two friends who in very different ways define her fate.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 4-6–From the comfort of her new home, a dog provides a retrospective narrative of her 10 years as mostly a stray. Squirrel's voice is consistently gentle, even as she describes her surroundings and life-changing events. She describes the circumstances of her birth, and conveys sadness and grief upon the disappearance of her mother, separation from her brother, and fear when fighting mean, starving dogs. Perhaps it is her sweet nature that makes her complacent about life on the run, but it also makes her story less compelling. Avi's The Good Dog (S & S, 2001) and Sarah Clark Jordan's The BossQueen, Little BigBark and the Sentinel Pup (Tricycle, 2004) also have canine narrators but convey many rich, satisfying details about what it smells and feels like to be a dog–details that are missing here. Nevertheless, libraries with dog lovers and Martin fans will want to give this book a home.–Laura Scott, Farmington Community Library, MI
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Booklist

Gr. 4-6. Novels for children rarely follow characters from birth to the threshold of the grave, but then again, most protagonists do not measure their life spans in dog years. In this "autobiography" of a dog named Squirrel, Newbery Honor Book author Martin imagines how a stray separated from its family in puppyhood finds its way in the world. Martin adjusts to her character's limited viewpoint by combining a retrospective structure--allowing an older, wiser Squirrel to shed light on things not within a puppy's purview--with graceful dog's-eye descriptions of nature, as when a moon waxes "from the tiny curl of a cat's claw to a half-closed eye." Less effective are the repetitive plot structure and the concluding focus on Squirrel's twilight years, lending the novel an elegiac tone that may not resonate with its target audience. Readers who love animal survival stories in the tradition of Anna Sewell's Black Beauty (1877) and Sheila Burnford's The Incredible Journey (1961) will embrace this for its convincing animal perspective, though some sad events may shock the softer hearted. Jennifer Mattson
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 9 and up
  
• Paperback: 192 pages
• Publisher: Scholastic Paperbacks (January 1, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0439717000
• ISBN-13: 978-0439717007
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 4.9 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (88 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #34,869 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #84 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Children's Books > Animals > Dogs > Fiction

More About the Author

Ann M. Martin is the bestselling author of the momentous series The Baby-sitters Club, as well as the Main Street series. Her other acclaimed novels include "A Dog's Life," "Belle Teal," "Here Today," and the Newbery Honor Book "A Corner of the Universe." She lives in upstate New York. For more information, visit www.scholastic.com/bsc.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

30 of 31 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Good Dog!, October 24, 2005

By 

Martha Quigley (Western New York State) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: A Dog's Life: The Autobiography Of A Stray (Hardcover)

Squirrel tells her story in simple, yet powerful language. The images are vivid. It is a testament to the heart of the will to survive, never giving up, and trying to remain optimistic. I would highly reccomend this book for pre-teens, teens, and adults. Some of the best literature out there is Juvenile/young adult fiction. The Autobiography of a Stray is one of those books. Make yourself a comfy bed, turn around on it 3 times and settle down contently to read this book.

42 of 47 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars One of the Best Books of 2005, September 20, 2005

By 

Erika Sorocco (Southern California, USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: A Dog's Life: The Autobiography Of A Stray (Hardcover)

Puppies Squirrel and Bone come into this world in a toolshed behind a summer house. The toolshed already houses cats and birds, even some mice. But there's always room for another, so Squirrel and Bone, alongside their mother, take up residence in a wheelbarrow inside the toolshed. While food is scarce, and often hard to find, the family is warm, and safe from predators. During their short time in the toolshed, Squirrel and Bone learn the rules of hunting from their mother. But when she disappears one day, after setting out for food, Squirrel and Bone know that they must leave the shed in the hopes of finding a better life for themselves. But when the two siblings are separated, Squirrel must get used to being alone. That is, until she meets up with Moon, another dog who resembles Bone. Over the course of their time together, they meet up with humans - both good and bad - and many dangerous obstacles that stand in their way to make a better life for themselves, but they never give up hope, and keep trucking, dreaming of a day when things will be better for themselves.

I have been a fan of Ann M. Martin for over thirteen-years, since her BABY-SITTERS CLUB days. And, as an avid animal lover, and the proud parent of three handicapped cats that I rescued from shelters, I was ecstatic to stumble upon A DOG'S LIFE. While it will bring a tear to your eye, and often cause you to put the book down for a breather, A DOG'S LIFE tells the brutal life of a stray animal. The abuse they take at the mercy of the hands of humans - both kind and unkind - and what they go through on a daily basis simply to find food. Told in first person - or dog - narrative by Squirrel, Martin has woven a remarkable novel for readers of all ages that will touch the hearts of all, and bring about hope that maybe, someday, all animals will live in peace, and none will be left "unwanted."

Erika Sorocco
Book Review Columnist for The Community Bugle Newspaper

28 of 30 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars For Dog Lovers Everywhere, October 23, 2005

By 

Avid Reader (Tulsa, OK USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: A Dog's Life: The Autobiography Of A Stray (Hardcover)

A Kid's Review:
I think that anyone who loves dogs should read this book because it is just the best book I've ever read. I'm nine years old and I'm obsessed with dogs. A Dog's Life was so good I could hardly put it down.

There were a lot of emotional ups and downs in the book. I think the writer gave very good details so you could see a really good picture in your mind.

I was so inspired by this book that I have now written a book about the life of a horse!