News for Dogs

March 23, 2009
The sibling stars of Hotel for Dogs
embark on a tamer adventure in this disappointing companion novel, arriving nearly 40 years after its predecessor. When Bruce, Andi and two friends publish a newspaper for dog owners, the business takes off. Profits multiply when the kids move the paper online, enabling Bruce to buy the dog of his dreams, but the threat of a lawsuit (one man is livid when exposed for neglecting to scoop poop) shuts them down. The story switches gears as local pets, including Bruce’s dog, begin disappearing, and the kids, aided by their detective great-aunt, vow to catch the dognappers. Readers will quickly pick up the scent of the villains—an Eddie Haskell–like bully and his equally unctuous cousin—which derails the tale’s suspense. Dog devotees will appreciate occasional animal antics (one pet dines in a high chair). But overdoses of staid prose (“Bruce was an honorable boy, and when he made a promise he kept it”) and dated dialogue (“ 'What a horrid thing for those boys to do!’ Andi cried angrily”) make for a sluggish read. Ages 8–12.

The sequel to Lois Duncan's 1971 book, HOTEL FOR DOGS (which was made into a movie last year), finds Andi and her older brother, Bruce, back again, with three dogs of their own this time. To raise cash to pay off the owner of Bruce's Irish setter, the siblings plan THE BOW-WOW NEWS, a newspaper for the canine set. Thanks to the Internet, their neighborhood project becomes an online sensation. It also seems to be the focus of a couple of "dognappers." Narrator Katherine Kellgren reads this mystery with the expression and authority of a master storyteller. Her rendering of the kids' Great Aunt Alice, an elderly retired private eye who becomes their staunchest ally, is especially appealing. But even Kellgren can't make listeners like these parents, who whine, yell, and refuse to believe their own kids. Somehow, that makes this story both more fun--and annoying. M.M.C. (c) AudioFile 2009, Portland, Maine