The Dog, Ray

October 1, 2016

Gr 5-8-A beautiful and lyrical story about grief and healing. Twelve-year-old Daisy Fellows has died. Almost immediately, she finds herself in a soul-reassignment center. She is returned to Earth, not as a human but as a dog. Daisy, soon renamed Ray, can remember her life as a girl and is determined to reunite with her parents. On her way, she meets a boy named Pip, a runaway who is living on the streets, and together they set out to locate their families. The narrative grapples with some weighty themes but portrays them all with empathy and kindness. Pip and Daisy are allowed to grieve at their own pace, and both take solace in each other's company. As Daisy dedicates herself to helping Pip, her memories of her life before slowly begin to fade away. Far from being sad, this feels more like a reprieve from the complicated and painful emotions of her past. The transition is deftly accomplished, and Coggin's well-crafted prose is authentic and moving. Aside from a rather one-dimensional depiction of the sole antagonistic character, the novel is populated with engaging secondary characters who all assist Pip and Daisy along their journey. VERDICT A tender and heartfelt tale that is sure to delight dog-loving readers or anyone who likes their happy endings to be hard-earned.-Laken Hottle, Providence Community Library

Copyright 2016 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

A 12-year-old girl dies and comes back to life as a dog while still remembering her previous life. When Daisy Fellows dies suddenly in a car crash she finds herself inexplicably in the Job Center. (Her eyes--one green and one blue--are her "distinguishing features," leading readers to infer she's white.) "Heaven?...What an old-fashioned concept," says the woman there, urging Daisy to sign a form before all the "qualified jobs" are taken. Narrator Daisy is perplexed until the woman explains, "You are a soul....Look at it as rehousing." Daisy mistakenly goes out the left door, instead of the right as instructed, and finds her soul inhabiting a newborn puppy named Misty--with all her Daisy memories intact. Daisy/Misty's dry humor entertains as she tries to make sense of her new existence. (Readers read human speech when Daisy/Misty speaks, but the humans in the story hear barking.) When Daisy/Misty, determined to find her human parents, runs away, she meets dark-haired, brown-eyed, white Pip, a 14-year-old runaway human boy who renames her Ray and is searching for his own father. As the two travel together, Ray gradually loses her memories of being Daisy and becomes more devoted and instinctual. Coggin's subtle narrative transitions her protagonist from dog-inhabited-by-the-soul-of-a-girl to solely-dog with exquisite grace, leading to a wholly original homecoming theme. A powerful story brought to heart-beating life by its cogent craftsmanship. (Fantasy. 9-14) COPYRIGHT(1) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

Starred review from August 15, 2016
A 12-year-old girl dies and comes back to life as a dog while still remembering her previous life. When Daisy Fellows dies suddenly in a car crash she finds herself inexplicably in the Job Center. (Her eyesone green and one blueare her distinguishing features, leading readers to infer shes white.) Heaven?What an old-fashioned concept, says the woman there, urging Daisy to sign a form before all the qualified jobs are taken. Narrator Daisy is perplexed until the woman explains, You are a soul.Look at it as rehousing. Daisy mistakenly goes out the left door, instead of the right as instructed, and finds her soul inhabiting a newborn puppy named Mistywith all her Daisy memories intact. Daisy/Mistys dry humor entertains as she tries to make sense of her new existence. (Readers read human speech when Daisy/Misty speaks, but the humans in the story hear barking.) When Daisy/Misty, determined to find her human parents, runs away, she meets dark-haired, brown-eyed, white Pip, a 14-year-old runaway human boy who renames her Ray and is searching for his own father. As the two travel together, Ray gradually loses her memories of being Daisy and becomes more devoted and instinctual. Coggins subtle narrative transitions her protagonist from dog-inhabited-by-the-soul-of-a-girl to solely-dog with exquisite grace, leading to a wholly original homecoming theme. A powerful story brought to heart-beating life by its cogent craftsmanship. (Fantasy. 9-14)

COPYRIGHT(2016) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

November 15, 2016
Grades 4-7 Life is full of surprises and so, it turns out, is death. When 12-year-old Daisy Fellows dies in a car accident, she finds herself in the waiting room of a job center that is tasked with assigning souls to new bodies on earth. Unfortunately, she enters the wrong door after receiving her assignment and comes back as a puppy, but with Daisy's memories. Coggin's interesting tweak of the dog-story formula makes the now-canine narrator more relatable because she is equipped with human knowledge and sensibilities. Daisy escapes from her blase adoptive family, hoping to reunite with her human parents, but instead finds a loving owner in Pip, a homeless boy, who names her Ray. The relationship they forge is sweet and affecting, particularly as she accompanies Pip on his search for his father, whom he has never met. The longer Daisy lives as Ray, the more her human memories fade and dog instincts develop. Readers will be invested in Daisy/Ray's evolution as she finds purpose in her new life. Warm and thought-provoking.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2016, American Library Association.)