Dingo (Hardcover)

by Charles de Lint (Author) "No one likes to think it of their father, but there are days when I can't help but feel that somehow I got stuck with..." (more)
Key Phrases: Charles de Lint, Johnny Ward, East Shore (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal
Grade 7 Up—De Lint ingeniously incorporates Aboriginal mythology into an intriguing story. Miguel, 17, is minding his dad's funky comics and record store in a small resort community when a girl dashes in with her dog to escape the town bully. Miguel feels an immediate connection to her, but there is something strange about her dog. Gradually, he discovers that Lainey is a shape-changer, a magical creature from Australia's Aboriginal past, and the dog—really a dingo—is actually her twin sister. The girls are hiding from their father, who wants to sacrifice Lainey to the powerful Aboriginal spirit Warrigal, the original clan leader, who is trapped in a tree. Suddenly Miguel is catapulted into a rain forest fantasy world complete with a talking cautionary turkey, haunted ancestral bones, and mysterious spirits. Fantasy lovers will enjoy this tale of an initially clueless protagonist thrust into a dangerous situation where he's expected to become an instant hero. A somewhat unnecessary subplot involves the town bully, who actually has a heart of gold and a tender artistic side, and is drawn into the adventure when he falls for Lainey's twin. Still, the juxtaposition of contemporary teen life with fantasy is well done. Readers might be interested enough to investigate more about the complicated Aboriginal Dreamtime of Australia and its early clan spirits and creation myths.—Quinby Frank, Green Acres School, Rockville, MD
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist
Seventeen-year-old Miguel is drawn to beautiful Lainey from the moment she and her dog appear outside his dad’s comics and music store. He soon learns that this Australian teenager and her identical twin are shape-shifters, sometimes appearing as young women and sometimes as dingoes (the ancestors of all dog breeds), but that doesn’t change his sudden, deep affection for her. Meanwhile, Miguel’s nemesis, Johnny, troubled and a troublemaker, has fallen in love with Lainey’s sister, Em. Together, the four venture into the dreamworld to challenge the power threatening the twins. Canadian fantasy writer de Lint draws from Australian lore to create otherworldly elements in the novel, making smooth transitions from everyday settings to altered realities within Miguel’s accessible first-person narrative. The occasional use of coarse (though appropriate to the characters) language may keep the book out of some middle-school libraries, but with its appealing jacket art, this tautly written, imaginative fantasy will find its audience. Grades 7-10. --Carolyn Phelan

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Product Details

• Reading level: Young Adult
  
• Hardcover: 224 pages
• Publisher: Firebird (March 13, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0142408166
• ISBN-13: 978-0142408162
• Product Dimensions: 7.1 x 5 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.2 out of 5 stars See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #210,854 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Another Wonderful tale, April 5, 2008

By	T. A. Sutherland "novgirl" (Lafayette, California) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Once again another wonderfully written story by Charles De Lint. I have to say I'm never disappointed when I read any of his books and I've been reading them for years. It doesn't matter if they were written for kids or adults they're all great. I recommend him to everyone, once you start you can't stop. The characters are just wonderful, you fall in love the moment you meet them, the locations are magic. I love how he describes and manages the meld the cross over from fantasy to reality, the blend is perfect, seamless. You don't know where one begins and the other ends. I catch myself wondering more about the things I encounter and can't explain and think, if only... You won't be disappointed with any of his books, you'll enjoy them for a long time.

10 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Masterful Storytelling, April 27, 2008

By	Ender84 (USA) - See all my reviews

Miguel was working in his father's record and comic book shop when a beautiful red head named Lainey and her strange dog walked into his life and changed it forever.

This novella is the first offering that I have read from author Charles De Lint and it certainly won't be the last. Dingo is an expertly crafted and unique story. The pacing is fairly quick and consistent throughout the book. You never feel bogged down with needless details or dialogue that add little to the story. It's clear that each word was carefully chosen. This makes for a quick read that feels like a full length novel.

Something I particularly enjoyed in this book was the Australian folklore. That is part of what makes this book unique. It was all new and fresh to me and added a lot of style to an already incredible story.

I highly recommend this book to anyone looking for something fresh and exciting with a good helping of magic and romance thrown in. I look forward to reading more from this author.

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars I expected better, August 14, 2008

By	Ms Judy (Quinns Rocks, Western Australia) - See all my reviews

Dingo started out ok; I thought it was going to be the typical deLint, set in a music/bookstore. But once the supposed Australian mythology came in, it just fell to pieces for me. deLint knows enough about Amerind mythology to know that symbols don't transfer neatly from one tribal/ethnic background to another, so why didn't he have an Australian (or an American who has lived more of her life in Australia than in the US, like me) give him some advice. There's a lot that can be made of Australian Indigenous mythology, without stepping on Secret Mens/Women's Business, but just mixing them all up, as he tries to do in Dingo, doesn't work for me.

The two twins can't behave that differently because each was present when the other interacted with Miguel. The dog he described wasn't even a dingo. They're skinny, underfed-looking dogs. They don't "look" powerful, even though they are.

deLint has done so many things so well that I'll read anything he writes, and always come back for more, but what a disappointment this was to me. A little research would have made it much more credible.

Ms Judy