Letters from Wolfie

July 5, 2004
Dog lovers are the most obvious audience for Sherlock's (Some Fine Dog
) hard-hitting Vietnam-era novel, which boasts a painting of a grinning German shepherd on its jacket—but they may also be put off by the premise. It's 1969, and 13-year-old Mark Cantrell has just seen his older brother, Danny, off to Vietnam. Shortly after Danny writes that the Army wants more German shepherds to train for use in combat, Mark offers up his own beloved shepherd, Wolfie. The author supplies various motivations for Mark's actions (pressure from his Army-loving father, loyalty to Danny, hopes of impressing girls at school), but the set-up isn't entirely convincing and makes it hard for readers to identify with Mark. It's a weak link in an otherwise strong novel. Belatedly Mark learns that he no longer has any claim on Wolfie ("When you donated your dog... it became property of the U.S. Army," an unsympathetic captain tells him). Mark is shaken, and news from the front, relayed in occasional letters from Danny and in letters written by Wolfie's soldier handler, slowly inclines him toward protest. Mark and Wolfie become a point of entry to the serious issues raised by the Vietnam War. Mark's parents adopt opposing views—the father stands behind his country no matter what, the mother wants to know exactly what her son's sacrifice is for—and Sherlock successfully casts both in a positive light, keeping each of them human and vulnerable. The inevitable tragic ending is well modulated, too. Ages 10-up.