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Night of the Howling Dogs

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Night of the Howling Dogs: A Page-turning Thriller

In his newest novel, Night of the Howling Dogs, popular writer Graham Salisbury masterfully combines the atmosphere of superstition and spooky stories around the fire at Camp Halape, with Hawaiian tales and legends of the Big Island locale, and the almost spiritual setting (the mana of place so important in Hawaiian mythology) on the slope of an active volcano in a near "perfect storm" to build suspense and create a thriller based on a true story. Night of the Howling Dogs is certainly a new direction for Graham Salisbury. Whereas his previous novels have focused primarily on character, this book focuses on the natural setting and survival of characters in conflict with the elements of nature. This time the place and the people rather than the period of history (World War II, for example, in Under the Blood-Red Sun and Eyes of the Emperor) drive the action. The novel's plot is tightly structured. The conflict in the opening pages of the story pits narrator Dylan and the other "good guys" against menacing and mysterious "Mr. Bad Man" Louie and the challenge of camping in a remote area on the side of volcano Moana Loa the Big Island of Hawaii. The geological instability of the natural setting and the growing possibility of impending disaster become the focus barely one third of the way into the novel.

Salisbury seamlessly blends the elements of plot with supernatural aspects of the setting--such as tales of the night marchers, the importance to the Hawaiians of akua, or good spirits associated with an area, as well as the importance of sharks as protectors to those who feed and befriend them. Fred, the shark with the bullet hole in his fin, turns out to be not a danger or threat to the boys but more of an amakua, or family god who can help those in trouble (138). The title's reference to the howling dogs ties in with the Hawaiian legend of Pele, who "was once a goddess, an akua" and who now "has a home up in Kilauea, at the volcano, right above where we are now," as Masa tells the group of Scouts around the campfire (97). It seems Pele often appears as a small white dog, just like the one Dylan hears first then sees high up on the cliff above the campsite during the night. To add to the mystery, Masa warns the group, "If you see that small white dog, something's going to happen" (99).

Many aspects of the novel are two-sided: the lava which can be smooth pahoehoe or aa like "shattered glass"; the location at Halape where the action occurs is first "a paradise" and later "A Watery Grave"; initially the description of the boys' camp near "a thick green coconut grove curved around a white sand beach" beyond which "a sky blue ocean [sits] smooth and calm" seems idyllic, but later on, the surging sea destroys virtually all of this peaceful setting; the "crack "where the boys enjoy swimming is both "dark down there" yet "where the sun shined on it you could see shadows under every rock and pebble on the bottom" (44). Even characters have both light and dark sides: Louie first creates tension among the members of the group, but it is he who ultimately pulls the team together in their battle to survive.

The novel is filled with foreshadowing, too. Like the ill-advised choices of the solitary man on the trail in Jack London's famous "To Build a Fire," actions of several of the campers are "stupid," and Salisbury's readers wait to see when the stupid ones will regret their folly. From Tad's lack of caution in not staying with his buddy Zach, to Dylan's "I was stupid" not to bring a hat for protection against the sun, to Mike and Louie's pitching their tent too close to the high water mark, it seems nearly every member of the group is sufficiently careless to warrant disaster.

In Night of the Howling Dogs, Salisbury again emphasizes positive character values. He uses the natural disaster to bring together characters--at least for a while. When Dylan pleas with Louie for his glasses, "unless you want to carry me home because I can't hike out of here without [my glasses]," Mr. Bad Man Louis, sasses back "Hoo, sissy-boy, I going to join Girl Scouts before I carry you" (85). Later when disaster hits, ironically Louis ends up carrying several different characters when his help is needed. Salisbury also works in the importance of respect and the positive aspects of Scouting even though it may not always be perceived as the "in" thing for young teens to do; as Mr. Bellows says, "I know you get teased for it [Scouting] at school" (27).

Because the characters range in age from eleven-year-old Tad (and his mommy-packed back pack) to Louie, the independent, mysterious fifteen year old who wears "a leather cord with a shark's tooth and silver skull hanging from it" (11-12), this book will appeal to middle school readers as well as to young adults. I will certainly recommend this book to my 7th graders, especially those who enjoy adventure and suspense. The suspense kept me turning pages, too!

Graham Salisbury has done it again with Night of the Howling Dogs. He's taken an actual event (the 1975 7.2 earthquake, epicenter Halape) and created a fiction story based on the horror that a Boy Scout Troop experienced during the quake and subsequent tsunami.

Salisbury's knowledge of Hawaii and his "nature-based" writing style are perfect for telling the story of Dylan (scout leader) and Louie (a hardened street kid with a rough past)and how they survive the aftermath of Pele's anger; saving their fellow scouts, leaders and a group of paniolos (Hawaiian cowboys) who were also camping there.

Having been to this region of the Big Island, I can say that the descriptions are not only accurate, but they put you there, in the moment, as are the characters. An excellent read!

Many years ago an airplane crashed in the Potomac River. One particular passenger became a national hero and was dubbed "The Man in the Water," for in giving his place of rescue to others, he developed hypothermia and slipped into the deathly throes of the frigid water. His body was never found. We will never forget that man.

Such selfless sacrifice and heroic effort animate one of the characters in "Night of the Howling dogs." A major, but understated, message of this young adult novel is that the heroic lives in each of us, just waiting for the opportunity to be born, at least that's the message I take from it.

But first, let's look at two prongs of back story. First, Author Graham Salisbury lives in Hawaii and often sets his novels there. This particular novel is based on a true event which happened to his cousin, who becomes the narrator of the novel. On November 29, 1975, a troop of Boy Scouts and their leaders went camping at Halape, a remote beach campground on the southern bank of the Kilauea volcano. An earthquake, measuring 7.2, hits the area during night, followed by a 300-foot tsunami that raised the sea level by 50 feet. Not everyone in the group survived.

The second prong is the honor bestowed on "Night of the Howling Dogs" by its placement on a list of 15 books in the annual Young Readers' Choice Award 2010 in Louisiana. Every year the Center for the Book, administered by the State Library of each state, compiles a list of 15 books with the goal of children in each state to read at least three books from the list. Reading three qualifies them to vote by material ballot supplied by their teachers or online. There are two divisions: one for Grades Three through Five, and Grades Six through Eight. "Night of the Howling Dogs" is on Louisiana's list for middle school grades. The point of this reading challenge is provide the opportunity for boys and girls to choose THEIR favorite book by vote, with the winner getting a special designation.

So, "Night of the Howling Dogs" is one contender, a historical novel interlaced with Hawaiian mythos. Long ago the goddess Pele was forced out of the Polynesian islands by her bad sister and came with her other brothers and sisters to this volcano, where she sometimes takes the shape of a small white dog. Dylan, the narrator both hears and sees the white dog and its companion. One of the cowboys who also happen to come to the area to fish tells the Scouts this story and that it is a sign that the volcano is about to erupt.

Another story line is that of Louis, a big brute of a boy for his age--these boys are eleven or so. Louie is native Hawaiian and shows great disrespect for the narrator. He is invited into the Scouts by a very caring leader who finds the boy living in his warehouse. Because of a pitiful home life, Louie is close to homeless.

There is no explanation for the surprise of character that can arise from horrible events, for it is Louie, the bad kid, who unfailingly becomes the heroic character. Yes, I'm giving a spoiler, but it is not the fact that he becomes the hero--it is what he does. His heroic actions in the face of absolute danger make the novel worth reading. Sociologists tell us that there is no explanation for the reason why some children can come out of dire circumstances to become successful and why some cannot succeed even from wonderful backgrounds. It is this mystery that becomes the heart of the second half of the novel.

The eruption and tsunami are frighteningly described in crashing detail. The reader almost drowns with Dylan, but then becomes part of the survival and rescue efforts. It is a thrilling--almost too thrilling-- experience.

Just as many young adult novels deal with multiple issues, so does "Night of the Howling Dogs." Author Salisbury weaves them together quite admirably. I never once had to suspend any belief. All seems possible. But then again the story is based on a true event, which is then filtered through the lens of a award-winning writer.

(SPOILER ALERT)

14-y.o. Dylan is on a trip of a life time. Not only is he going on an exciting hike and campout at the paradisial Halape Beach on the Big Island in Hawaii, he's the senior patrol leader. But Dylan also has on his hands a problem of seismic proportions: Louie Domingo, an older, taller troubled teen, all muscle and menace. Previously, the two had a happenstance run-in that was the fault of neither, but Louie had vowed he would get Dylan back. Soon enough, trouble stirs and stews. It seems only a matter of time that Louie's threats would explode into violence. Little did either boys realize that a far greater peril would come from above - and beyond. Their world is shattered when a 7.2 earthquake rocked their campground, shaking loose boulders that rained death upon them, causing a tidal wave that wiped out their idyllic beach. Struggling through crippling injuries and paralyzing fear, every troop member has to dig deep to survive the catastrophe; Dylan and Louie must band together in order to save the troop, and save themselves.

This is a great book for boys who complain they don't have anything good to read - it's GOOD alright. It has a killer cover that sets the tone. A growing sense of foreboding sets in early and carries the reader away like a tsunami. Besides the brewing danger that Louie presents, we also have the mysterious howling dogs that seemed to be following them (cleverly set off by Louie's growling dogs introduced earlier - dogs that he controlled with a single word); there's also a shark of mythical pedigree, and spine-tingling tales of intrigue told around a campfire. What makes the book even more compelling is the epilogue. It explains how the story, while fictitious, is based on true events in 1975 that Salisbury's own cousin went through, and lived to talk about. Parents, librarians, and teachers will embrace the positive values the book espouses. Finally, Salisbury's staccato writing style echoes the taciturn temperament of Louie, and will resonate with laconic boys. You don't have to be a boy scout to be captivated by this book. Highly recommended.

Dylan is the Senior Patrol leader of his Boy Scout troop, and they are about to hike and stay in a remote area in their native land of Hawaii. This place had been almost completely wiped out from a long-ago volcanic eruption, but there is a small oasis of quiet beauty in the area that remained. That's where the boys will be camping.

Dylan is not excited when a tough boy named Louie shows up. He's not a Scout, but his Scoutmaster invited him along to see if he would be interested in joining. He makes Dylan uncomfortable, but there's nothing he can do about it. And Dylan only thinks that having Louie on his case constantly is the biggest thing he has to worry about on that trip.

Until it hits. "It" is an actual event that happened in this same area in 1975. An earthquake, which causes part of the land to collapse into the ocean, and that also causes a tsunami that covers the sunken land with water beyond belief. Palm trees, under which some of his troop had been sleeping, stand in the middle of the ocean. He doesn't know where anyone is, if they are okay, or if he will survive himself.

Graham Salisbury's cousin was a Scout who happened to be on just such a trip with his troop when the historical tsunami hit. He took the author to the land many years later. The detailed descriptions of the events and setting could only be told by an excellent storyteller and someone who truly experienced this unbelievable event. This is a great adventure of survival and a coming-of-age story.

Reviewed by: Dianna Geers

This was purchased for a our local library. Can't comment on the book itself, as I haven't read it. But shipping was fast and book was in the condition promised.

Read the first few chapters to my young daughters, who it appears, are a little young for this. Also, I guess at bedtime, they are just too sleepy for a chapter book. For me, this has been completely intriguing and I look forward to sitting down and reading this adventure entirely--with them or without them! Also, looks like an especially good one for kids into camping, and for boys, or girls who enjoy boy-stories. Night of the Howling Dogs

Graham Salisbury's NIGHT OF THE HOWLING DOGS recreates in fiction the true story of a volcano's eruption on the Big Island of Hawaii. Dylan's Scout troop camps below the volcano in a beautiful setting - a nice expedition until disaster strikes and brings with it changes demanding Dylan assume an unusual leadership role.

I really enjoyed thinking about how they were going to get away from the shark. It made my heart beat really fast just like his did.

We live in Nebraska and the state has Golden Sower books for kids to read. This book my daugher HATED it. She thought the print was very small and the story was not intersting.