Reviews for A Dog's Life: The Autobiography of a Stray

The average rating for A Dog's Life: The Autobiography of a Stray based on 2 reviews is 4.5 stars.

Review # 1 was written on 2015-11-13 00:00:00 Mark Keavney I read this book after my 11 year old son. This took no convincing as it's written by none other than the author of my favourite childhood series. This is third book I've read by her this year, the others being Snail Mail, No More and P.S. Longer Letter Later. The author is an advocate for animal shelters and even provides ideas and suggestions for youngsters to donate their time. So good! This authors writing is perfect for kids around the age ten mark, she writes innocently and with simplicity. I thoroughly enjoyed this story and I was entertained by the narrator, written by the perspective of 'Squirrel' a lovely stray dog. Seasons change and are explained beautifully, and the descriptions of cruelty are equally effective. These scenes aren't morose, they are handled carefully and honestly. Lots of imagery of the animals the dog comes across, a lot of animal names I had not heard of! I know I spent the entire time hoping for the best outcome for Squirrel, and I can imagine that kids would be captivated even more so. A good quality sincere book for kids. I love Ann M. Martin! I still remember the thrill of wanting to write to her as a 12 year old, such fond memories!

Review # 2 was written on 2009-03-09 00:00:00 Ryan Mark I didn't really expect to like this book much, but I picked up on a whim anyway. It had two basic strikes against it: (1) It's told from the dog's point of view, which can sometimes be really odd to read and (2) it's "juvenile fiction." Well, I was wrong. This was a fantastic book and I wish I could read more like it! It tells the story of Squirrel and her brother, Bone, who are stray dogs born in a shed behind a house. After their mother leaves them, they depart together for parts unknown. The book is, at turns, sweet and sad, wonderful and heartbreaking. The ending brought tears to my eyes and made me smile. It was just a fantastic book and I highly recommend it!