Say Good-Bye (Wild at Heart) [Library Binding]

Laurie Halse Anderson (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 2001 | Age Level: 10 and up | Series: Wild at Heart (Book 5)

Seeing Jane's dog, Yum-Yum, help cheer up children in a cancer ward makes Zoe think about having her puppy, Sneakers, trained to do therapy, too, especially when Yum-Yum becomes very ill.

--This text refers to an alternate Library Binding edition.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 4-6-When Zoe's mother moves to Los Angeles to pursue an acting career, the girl is shipped off to live with her grandmother, Dr. J. J. MacKenzie, a veterinarian who runs the Wild at Heart Animal Clinic. This fifth installment in the series finds Zoe struggling to deal with her mother's absence and learning to adjust to a new school. Her major project, however, involves her efforts to housebreak a new puppy, Sneakers, that just won't behave. Zoe learns through volunteer work at the veterinary clinic and advice from her cousin that sometimes the owner's lack of patience is the problem. Zoe also meets a therapy dog that was recently diagnosed with cancer. After working with Yum-Yum and his owner at the children's hospital, Zoe realizes how important the dog has become to the patients, and worries about how his death will affect them. Fans of animal-centered fiction will enjoy the undemanding story line and Zoe's dilemmas as she learns to fit in with the gang at Wild at Heart, train Sneakers, and prove to herself that she and her pet can make a difference in the lives of the hospitalized children. The author includes end matter about therapy pets.
Jennifer Ralston, Harford County Public Library, Belcamp, MD
Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 10 and up
  
• Library Binding
• Publisher: Topeka Bindery (March 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0613876253
• ISBN-13: 978-0613876254
• Product Dimensions: 7.6 x 4.9 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.5 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #10,583,059 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Laurie Halse (rhymes with "waltz") Anderson pretended she was a polar bear when she walked to school through the snow of Syracuse, New York. As a little girl, she would pound away at her father's old typewriter for hours, writing newspaper columns, stories, and letters. She loved watching her father write poetry and reading the funnies on the floor of his office. Laurie fell in love with words when her second-grade teacher taught her how to write haiku. Her favorite book is the dictionary, which is a good thing because she is a terrible speller. She tried to read every book in her school library, a heavenly place. She loves librarians! One of her favorite books was Heidi. This led to curiosity about foreign cultures. As a senior in high school, she was an American Field Service exchange student to Denmark, where she lived on a pig farm. She skipped both her prom and graduation ceremonies and had a great time there. She can still speak Danish.

Laurie Halse Anderson never intended to be an author. At Georgetown University, she majored in foreign languages and linguistics. She hit the real world with no idea of what kind of work she wanted to do. She tried everything, including cleaning banks, milking cows and working as a stockbroker. She hated all of it. Working as a reporter for the Philadelphia Inquirer was a slight improvement, but she eventually quit to write books. After eight long, rejection-filled years, she has finally qualified as an overnight success.

Laurie's books for children and teenagers have attracted a lot of attention. Her first novel, Speak, was a National Book Award Finalist, a Michael L. Printz Honor book, a New York Times bestseller, and an American Library Association Best Book for Young Adults. Publisher's Weekly, called Speak "a stunning first novel," in which Ms. Anderson "uses keen observations and vivid imagery to pull readers into the head of an isolated teenager." Speak has been translated into sixteen foreign languages, including Chinese and Catalan. In 2005, the movie version was released. In addition to novels, Laurie writes chapter books for elementary age children and picture books for the pre-school set. She received the Margaret A. Edwards Award, given by the American Library Association for significant and lasting achievement in young adult literature, in 2009.

Laurie lives in Northern New York with her husband, Scot, and their dog, Kezzie. Scot designed and built a writing cottage for Laurie, where she writes daily. Along with writing, she enjoys gardening, running and hanging with her family.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Saying Good-Bye, June 23, 2001

By 

Kristin Rattigan (In Bed) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Say Good-Bye (Wild at Heart No. 5) (Paperback)

This story takes you with Zoe,a girl who lives with her grandma nad her cousin Maggie.She has a dog named Sneakers who is very not-behaved. She helps work with her grandma as a vert volunteer along 4 other children who all love animals. In this adventure the story meets Zoe's favorite customer ,cute little Shih Tzu Yum-Yum.Yum-Yum is owned by Jane,a hairstyliist and she loves t do Yum-Yum's hair too ! Well Yum-Yum who is very well trained goes to the hospitial and sees kids wit cancer.It helps cheer them up and get happiness. When one little girl mentions that YUM-Yum has stinky breath Jane gets allworried because she does brush his teeth everyday and he has treatments.After they leave the hospitial they go see Zoe's grandma for a checkup on Yum-Yum. The results aren't very well. They found a cancerous tumor ,will they have to say Good Bye ? This is a great book and I really loved it. I am an animal lover so that's one reason I loved this book.It also is realistic,not everything is all happy all the time ,this book was also very sad as you feel like you become Zoe you feel like her ,cry with her, and rejoice with her. I believe any animal lover ought to read this.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Best summer reading!!, August 13, 2003

A Kid's Review

This review is from: Say Good-Bye (Wild at Heart No. 5) (Paperback)

This book was about a dog, Yum Yum, who entertained the children at the cancer hospital. I loved Yum Yum and so did the children in the book. Yum Yum stole a place in my heart!!!!!!!!!!! I am going to read all the wild at heart books!

0 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Awesome Book, February 24, 2005

A Kid's Review

This review is from: Say Good-Bye (Wild at Heart) (Library Binding)

Zoe, the main character lives with her grandma because her mom is an actress in Hollywood,CA. Her grandma gives her a dog and she names it Sneakers. Zoe's grandma runs the Wild at Heart Animal Clinic. One of the clinic's patients is Yum-Yum, a dog that visits children at the hospital who have cancer. The children teach Yum-Yum tricks and everything. Yum-Yum is the highlight of their day. Yum-Yum's ower takes Yum-Yum to Wild at Heart Animal Clinic and they find a tumor. I think this was a very good book. I think it is a good book for people who like animals, especially dogs.