Darling, Mercy Dog of World War I

September 23, 2013
A rambunctious family pet becomes a vigilant Red Cross dog in this first book in Hart’s Dog Chronicles. A herder by breed, Darling constantly runs away from her young owners, Robert and Katherine, and insists, “I didn’t care about war and hard times” when the children’s father ships out from England to France during WWI. The dog has a change of attitude after her family, unable to pay the increased dog tax, volunteers her for service in the British army. Though the dog doesn’t actually perform a rescue mission until more than halfway through the novel, her descriptions of life on the Belgian front carry weight. Montgomery’s soft pencil drawings reinforce the affection between Darling and her handlers, and back matter offers additional facts about WWI and military dogs. Ages 7–10.

September 15, 2013
Darling, a rambunctious family dog, is drafted to serve in the British Army during World War I. The dog's-eye view offers a unique look at the lives of both two-footed and four-footed soldiers fighting at the front. Darling, desperate to return home, looks for every opportunity to run away, but when she happens upon a wounded soldier, she also discovers her true calling as a "mercy dog," searching out soldiers in need. Other dogs in her regiment are trained as messengers, scouts or sentries. Dogs travel with their handlers through France and Belgium toward their ultimate destination: no man's land. Darling quickly learns the brutality of war, watching dogs and soldiers die on both sides of the battlefield. She notes that the hated Germans are barely older than the children she left behind at home. The simple narrative is detailed but never graphic. Specifics about weapons and geography often outpace a dog's understanding, but this break in narration is only occasionally distracting. While never shying away from the tragedies of battle, Darling's story focuses on bravery, sacrifice and devotion. Finely detailed pencil sketches and an afterword explaining the history behind the story are included. Wartime adventure with plenty of heart. (Historical fiction. 7-10)

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December 1, 2013
Grades 3-5 Darling, the book's charming narrator, is an adventurous dog from a loving home in England. When WWI breaks out, the British army teaches her to be a mercy dogone who locates wounded soldiers on the battlefield regardless of danger: gunfire, bomb blasts, poison gas, uneven terrain, and barbed wire. Renamed War Dog 204, Darling takes the reader from her village, to the training ground, and into the trenches of war-torn Belgium. She relates the sights, sounds, smells, and fears associated with war while valiantly putting her life on the line. In the heat of the Battle of Messines Ridge, Darling is wounded but manages to save trapped soldiers. This chapter book offers an introduction to the Great War but focuses on the unsung heroes of the battlefield. Darling's tale is supplemented with interesting facts and background information about dogs and war, and this first book in the Dog Chronicles series will certainly delight young readers who love stories about their canine pals.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2013, American Library Association.)