Dog Trouble

October 15, 2024
Thirteen-year-old Ash Tompkins likes skateboarding, BMX biking, his friends, and his cat, Suki, but despite all these good things, Ash has had a tough year. His mom is busy studying and working. Pop, his grandad with whom he had a close relationship, has died. And Ash recently got caught vandalizing an abandoned warehouse with friends. As a result, he's sent on a ferry away from the city to spend the summer on nearby Ferncliff Island with his father and stepfamily, where he'll do community service at the animal shelter. The plot focuses on Ash as he bonds with his younger stepsister, Parker, learns how to handle dogs, and deals with grief over the loss of his favorite shelter dog, Cooper. The story provides useful and interesting dog-related information that's tinged with humor, such as a fecal scoring chart used to gather data on shelter dogs, but it doesn't delve into the connection between the losses of Pop and Cooper, which are central to Ash's growth. Varner uses an appealing, limited color palette of gray for flashbacks and blue for the present. Splashes of yellow signal strong emotions, highlight sound effect words, and spotlight the dogs Ash meets. Variations in the panel structure, including trapezoid-shaped cells and ones without borders, add interest and meaning to the reading experience. Ash presents white, and his stepmother and Parker read Black. Long on canine fun but short on the treatment of the serious (and central) topic of death. (author's note, cover sketches)(Graphic fiction. 8-12)

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November 1, 2024

Gr 4 Up-Ash's life is tough: his beloved grandpa "Pop" recently passed, his overworked mom keeps forgetting to pick him up from school, and his grades are slipping. Ever since his dad moved to a nearby island that's only accessible by ferry, Ash only sees him once a month. When Ash and his friends vandalize an empty building, Ash is forced to do community service on the island and stay with his dad's new family for the summer, which seems like the worst punishment of all. When faced with choosing his community service, Ash opts for the dog shelter. Reticent and worried about the commitment, the lack of friends and small town get under Ash's skin, but with a dedicated shelter director becoming his mentor, can community service help this middle schooler get back on track after past mistakes? Despite his flaws, Ash will endear himself to readers as he finds purpose and meaning looking after the pups. This fast-paced novel is a great reminder for young readers that they are not defined by their mistakes. Of special interest for some readers will be the vocabulary words related to the world of animal care that can be found throughout the story. VERDICT A successful story of overcoming challenges with compassion and patience, and a recommended purchase for libraries, especially for those who can't seem to have enough graphic novels for their patrons.-Carol Youssif

Copyright 2024 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

January 1, 2025
After an uncharacteristic lapse in judgment with his friends (they skateboarded in an abandoned warehouse and broke the windows), middle schooler Ash must spend his summer with his father, stepmother, and stepsister on a small island in the Pacific Northwest. There he'll be doing community service at the island's animal shelter, where his mother hopes he will learn some responsibility. Overcoming some reluctance, Ash soon takes to walking and caring for the shelter's dogs. Life at his father's home is more of a struggle as Ash must adjust to Dad's new family, including being an older brother, and to the "isolating and boring" island. Varner's (Horse Trouble) graphic-novel storytelling is well paced and compelling, appropriately lingering on emotionally heavy scenes (including the death of a shelter dog) where she allows the art to carry the narrative. Skillful mixed-media cartooning employs limited color palettes to confidently convey Ash's energetic skateboarding and big emotional swings, along with a parade of adorable canines. Chapter openers give quick facts on a dog breed readers will encounter in that chapter. A tender story of friendship (human and animal), family, and growing into oneself. Eric Carpenter

(Copyright 2025 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)