School Library Journal Review
Gr 3-5-A good-hearted mutt named Brodie awakes from death to find himself in an idyllic landscape, surrounded by other dogs with nothing to do but run and play. As memories intermittently return from his life, he realizes dimly that he must go back to the cold and perilous world to reunite with his loyal boy, Aiden, and protect him from an as-yet-uncertain threat. Along with a Staffordshire terrier called Tuck and an irascible cat named Patsy, Brodie puts his soul at tremendous risk, battling roving hellhounds and learning to navigate the confusing realm of life after death. When he finds Aiden and seeks to confront the boy's abusive father, known only as "the monster," it takes everything Brodie has left to avert disaster. The narrator's voice, apparently omniscient but eventually revealed to be a character in the story, quickly becomes obtrusive and distracting, characterized by stylistic tics such as frequent repetitions of "Believe me" and constantly framing exposition with a sort of rhetorical inquiry ("Because Brodie? His heart had a compass needle that never lost its way."). Despite its mawkish pageant of souls and angels, this novel provides enough dramatic tension and narrative twists to carry dog-loving readers through. VERDICT A secondary purchase for elementary schools and some middle schools where animal stories are in demand.-Bob Hassett, Luther Jackson Middle School, Falls Church, VA © Copyright 2017. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Publisher's Weekly Review
Animal lovers will embrace this tale of canine dedication with a twist, told from the point of view of the dog. The twist? The dog, a mutt named Brodie, has died and returned from the "in-between place"-despite strong warnings not to do so-in order to save his boy, Aiden, from a frightening, unspecified fate. Both hampered and helped by his ghostly state, Brodie teams up with two other spirits, terrier pal Tuck and Patsy, a rough-talking cat, to find Aiden. Brodie and Aiden's deep bond and Aiden's precarious home life are depicted through flashbacks; discussion of souls abounds as does Gemeinhart's skill for creating page-turning chases and battles-a trio of evil ghostly dogs is trying to steal Brodie and Tuck's souls. Despite a somewhat jarring turn at the very end when a first-person narrator suddenly appears to help Brodie achieve his well-deserved peace, this emotionally driven fantasy about change and loss keeps its focus solidly on Brodie, credibly rendering the dog's loyalty, love, and determination to follow those instincts. Ages 8-12. Agent: Pam Victorio, D4EO Literary. (Mar.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
