Ginger

December 3, 2012
Ginger, a guileless and energetic golden retriever, shares her peripatetic story in this spirited and occasionally heavy-handed first book in the Dog Diaries series. Born in a puppy mill, Ginger is transported to a pet store and separated from her litter mates; a couple buys her as a Christmas gift for their toddler. After the tyke bangs Ginger’s tail with a toy hammer, the puppy gives the boy’s hand “just the tiniest nip, enough to let him know not to try that again.” It’s also enough to convince the boy’s parents to take Ginger to an animal shelter. Following an ill-fated adoption, Ginger escapes and lives with a pack of wild dogs until a kindly man who rescues dogs takes her in. The novel has heart as well as a mission: in addition to Ginger’s heart-tugging recounting of maltreatment and misunderstandings, Klimo (the Dragon Keepers series) includes none-too-subtle lectures from veterinarians and other dog-loving adults, and an appendix offers information about golden retrievers, puppy mills, animal shelters, and choosing
a dog. Simultaneously available: Buddy. Final art not seen by PW. Ages 9–12.

December 15, 2012
Ginger, a golden retriever, is the product of a brutal puppy mill, inauspicious beginnings that don't improve much. Taken from her pathetically ill-treated mother, Ginger is brought to a pet shop where she's bought by a shallow couple as an inappropriate Christmas present for their 2-year-old son. Acting as puppies do, Ginger gets herself in enough trouble that she's turned over to an animal shelter. Then she's taken in by a kindly man who understands her needs but--inevitably--leaves her with an irresponsible pet sitter. Eventually, she ends up on the streets with a group of feral dogs. After getting passed to a pet rescuer, things finally begin to look up for Ginger, providing a final object lesson on what constitutes a good pet home. While Ginger's first-person narration is relatively believable, the plot seems driven by the need to inform young readers about the many pitfalls mistreated pets encounter, rather than by the desire to tell a good story. But including such a wide range of unfortunate situations diminishes the separate impact of each one, since there is only room to lightly sketch them in this brief chapter book. Attractive, realistic drawings in each chapter fully capture Ginger's placid nature. Assisted by Ginger's attractively gentle voice, pet lovers may be willing to overlook the sometimes heavy-handed narrative. (history of golden retriever breed, information on puppy mills, rescue groups, animal shelters, and how to choose a dog.) (Fiction. 8-12)

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January 1, 2013
Grades 2-5 Series are to middle-grade readers as bones are to dogs. That means that the portion of the chapter-book audience that is animal crazy will likely take to this first title in the new Dog Diaries series, which tells each story from a dog's point of view. In her canine journal, Ginger tells her life story enthusiastically and guilelessly, as you might expect of a golden retriever. Puppy-mill born, she has a run of rotten luck with her owners and winds up a stray. Rescued by an animal-control officer and brought to a shelter, she eventually finds happiness with exactly the right boy, Corey. How do we know he's right? Well, Ginger calls him by name when all the other people in her life are referred to by such names as Yummy Crumb Man, Skinny Man, and Bad Dog Walker. This gets a tad cutesy at times, but a more serious note in the end matter attempts to educate readers about puppy mills, rescue groups, and picking a dog for a pet. This will definitely fill a need at most libraries.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2013, American Library Association.)