Nop's Hope [Paperback]

Donald McCaig (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 1, 1998

The sequel to Nop's Trials, about a woman and her remarkable border collie

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

YA-Coping with the accidental death of her husband and young child, Penny competes in the Border collie trials throughout the nation. Talented Hope, son of Nop (Nop's Trials [Lyons & Burford, 1992]), learns from experience and does better and better, winning prize money and prestige. McCaig's love of dogs and this breed is shown in details of competition and the relationship between the animal and the owner/ trainer. A delightful diversion occurs when he shows what the dogs are thinking or saying about their owners or their surroundings. A sense of adventure is maintained as Penny takes jobs to earn money or competes with Hope. As her mother and father have an important role in the story, YAs will see that parents continue to participate in the lives of their adult children. A short, easy-to-read novel with lots of dialogue.
Claudia Moore, W.T. Woodson High School, Fairfax, VA
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Booklist

McCaig's earlier novel, Nop's Trials (1992), about "the finest sheepdog in America," was a big success. Hope is a border collie "out of Nop by Kate." Lewis Burkholder, the Virginia farmer who owns Nop, gives young Hope to his daughter Penny when her husband and child are killed; Penny and Hope take to the road. They spend a few months in Texas, helping a rancher named Owen Wright with his lambing. Then they follow the sheepdog circuit, where they take up with Ransome Barlow and his prizewinning dog, Bute. But Penny can't find comfort with either man, or with her parents; the only solace comes from Hope, whom she is turning into a winner. Missing Penny, not understanding why she's left home, Lewis and his wife, Beverly, return to the circuit themselves, traveling across country in their motor home and entering Nop in a few more trials, though he's gotten too old for this kind of thing. This is a heartwarming story--heartwarming but never sentimental. McCaig does well at expressing human emotions, but he does even better writing about the bonds between humans and their dogs. The dogs are characters themselves, with their own language, wisdom, and culture. Mary Ellen Quinn --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 224 pages
• Publisher: The Lyons Press; 1st edition (June 1, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1558215743
• ISBN-13: 978-1558215740
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 5.9 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,183,407 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Hope For Another Nop Sequel, February 20, 2003

By 

ED Detetcheverrie "Q" (East Coast, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Nop's Hope (Paperback)

McCaig's writing style has matured since penning Nop's Trials. If you've read the first book, you'll understand how it almost feels like somebody else wrote Hope, yet it still carries McCaig's overall simplistic and straightforward flavor. Hope is more about Hope's handler, Penny Burkeholder, and how she tries to cope with life after her family is cruelly and suddenly torn asunder. Nop's offspring, Hope, is integral to the storyline, though not so much as his sire was in Nop's Trials. There's something bleak and distant about this book that makes it feel lonely...though it is appropriate for the story, it lacks a little of the magic and sparkle of Nop's Trials. There's less humor here, less warmth, and I'm uncertain if McCaig intended it to be interpreted this way to help the reader feel what Penny and her family endure during the telling of this tale. It's a great book, but a sad one overall. Fortunately, enough strings remain untied at the end to give hope for at least one more wonderful Burkeholder story.

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A very satisfying sequal to Nop's Trials, November 6, 1998

By A Customer

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Nop's Hope (Paperback)

Donald McCaig has again shown his insight into many levels of relationships, both human and dog. I ached for the Penny as she dealt with her tragedy by building a world for herself that included room for nothing more than her dog and the trial circuit. I also ached for her parents as they sought to reach out to a daughter who was too hardened by her pain to turn to them for support. The two men who were in love with Penny were each very different from the other. I read eagerly to see which, if either, she would choose. Donald McCaig is a very good writer. I like his conversations between the dogs and especially the conversations between Penny and Hope. This book made me remember how much I had liked Nop's Trials, which I immediately re-read.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Let's bash Penny B.; keep the dogs, July 23, 2001

By 

Suzanna Channel (Batesville, Ar United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Nop's Hope (Paperback)

Since Nop's Trials is in my top two list of favorite reads, I anticipated Nop's Hope to be disappointing, because realistically, what writer can top Nop? But Hope is not disappointing at all. In fact, it's a keeper, a re-reader; a four stars plus, actually. It's not Donald McCaig's fault I wanted to kill Penny the protagonist. I nearly threw the book when she does a certain thing I can't tell you about or I'll ruin the twist. Yeah, sure, she's had it tough, very tough, but she knew better than to do what she did! And these, my dears, are imaginary folk. So Mr. McCaig gets an A. Buy it, give it to every dog person you know.