Dogtown

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Dogtown

Title:

Dogtown

Alternate title:

Dog town

Author:

Applegate, Katherine, author.

Choldenko, Gennifer, 1957- author.

West, Wallace, 1978- illustrator.

Summary:

"Dogtown is a shelter for stray dogs, misbehaving dogs, and discarded robot dogs, whose owners have outgrown them. Chance, a real dog, has been in Dogtown since her owners unwittingly left her with irresponsible dog-sitters who skipped town. Metal Head is a robot dog who dreams of being back in a real home. And Mouse is a mouse who has the run of Dogtown, pilfering kibble, and performing clever feats to protect the dogs he loves. When Chance and Metal Head embark on an adventure to find their forever homes, there is danger, cheese sandwiches, a charging station, and some unexpected kindnesses along the way." -- Publisher's description.

Audience:

Ages 8-12. Feiwel and Friends.

Grades 4-6. Feiwel and Friends.

Edition:

First edition.

Physical Description:

344 pages : illustrations ; 22 cm.

Genre:

Action and adventure fiction.

Subject Term:

Animal shelters -- Juvenile fiction.

Dogs -- Juvenile fiction.

Robots -- Juvenile fiction.

Pet adoption -- Juvenile fiction.

Author(s):

Choldenko, Gennifer, 1957-

West, Wallace, 1978-

Publisher:

Feiwel and Friends, an imprint of Macmillan Publishing Group, LLC,

Publication Date:

2023

ISBN:

9781250811608

Publication Information:

New York : Feiwel and Friends, an imprint of Macmillan Publishing Group, LLC, 2023.

Call Number:

J APPLEGATE

Holds: Copies:

Available:*

Item Barcode	Collection	Call Number	Status	Item Holds
33607003610154	New Juvenile Fiction	APPLEGATE	Searching... Unknown	Searching... Unavailable

Bound With These Titles

On Order

Summary

Now a New York Times bestseller, an Indie bestseller, and an Amazon Best Children's Book of 2023! From beloved authors Katherine Applegate and Gennifer Choldenko and with illustrations from Wallace West, Dogtown is at once an uplifting story and a page-turning adventure, sure to find a forever home in readers' hearts.

Dogtown is a shelter for stray dogs, misbehaving dogs, and discarded robot dogs, whose owners have outgrown them.

Chance, a real dog, has been in Dogtown since her owners unwittingly left her with irresponsible dog-sitters who skipped town.

Metal Head is a robot dog who dreams of being back in a real home.

And Mouse is a mouse who has the run of Dogtown, pilfering kibble, and performing clever feats to protect the dogs he loves.

When Chance and Metal Head embark on an adventure to find their forever homes, there is danger, cheese sandwiches, a charging station, and some unexpected kindnesses along the way.

Author Notes

Katherine Applegate was born in Michigan on July 19, 1956. She writes science fiction, young adult romances, and pop-up books. She is the author of the Making Waves, Making Out, and Roscoe Riley Rules series. She writes the Animorphs, Everworld, and Remnants series under the pen name K. A. Applegate. She also writes under the pen names of C. Archer, Catherine Kendall and Elizabeth Benning. She has received numerous awards including a Golden Duck Award (Eleanor Cameron Award for Middle Grades) for The Message in 1997, the SCBWI 2008 Golden Kite Award for Best Fiction and the Bank Street 2008 Josette Frank Award for Home of the Brave, and the 2013 Newbery Medal and the Rebecca Caudill Young Readers' Book Award (Illinois) for The One and Only Ivan.

(Bowker Author Biography)

Reviews (2)

School Library Journal Review

Gr 4--6--Welcome to Dogtown, a shelter for regular dogs--and robot dogs (don't ask, just go with it). The shelter's top dog is Chance, a congenial and introspective pooch, who like all the residents, longs to reunite with her family. But as Chance understands, "Hope is a painful business." That anguish, along with her resentment towards robot dogs (they often get adopted before real dogs) fades as Chance spends time with a robot dog she nicknames Metal Head. Animosity gradually evolves into understanding, then friendship as Chance introduces Metal Head to Mouse, a real mouse who lives in the shelter and shares Chance's kibble. The action shifts to adventure when Chance and Mouse escape Dogtown to accompany Metal Head on his quest to rejoin his family. Super short chapters, perhaps suggesting a dog's alleged limited attention span, keep the novel's pace moving briskly toward a climax sure to please animal lovers despite a few sad moments along the way. Chance captivates with insights that are hilarious and wise beyond her age in dog years. She counsels Mouse, "Your heart is a muscle…It grows stronger the more you use it." Thoughtful back matter suggests how children can help shelter dogs. West's grayscale art perfectly captures canine emotion and unbridled energy. VERDICT When Applegate and Choldenko collaborate, readers win.--Marybeth Kozikowski

Publisher's Weekly Review

Newbery Medalist Applegate and Newbery Honoree Choldenko team up for this uplifting escape novel narrated by Chance, a forthright three-legged border collie/Aussie mix. Self-described as an unadoptable "pity party in a dog suit," Chase is a permanent resident of Dogtown--a shelter for dogs both mammalian and robotic--where she offers amusing and insightful commentary about her fellow rescues, including the animosity between the "flesh-and-bloods" seeking forever homes and the "metal dogs" that many humans consider easier to care for. When an uncharacteristically empathic robot dog, Metal Head, arrives, he makes a bold request of Chance and her friend Mouse: break him out of Dogtown. Unwittingly swept up in Metal Head's flight scheme, Chance and Mouse embark on an adventure that makes Chance wonder about life beyond the shelter. Angular b&w line drawings by West (Mighty Red Riding Hood) highlight the humorously sketched canine cast, while brief chapters that explore species divides promise to captivate anyone who enjoys rooting for a couple of down-on-their-luck dogs getting a second chance. Human characters are portrayed with various skin tones. Ages 8--12. (Sept.)