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Summary
Summary
Eva Ibbotson's final masterpiece, a tale of a boy and dog who were meant to be together.
All Hal had ever wanted was a dog. "Never!" cries his mother. "Think of the mess, the scratch-marks, the puddles on the floor." But on the morning of Hal's 10th birthday, the unbelievable happens. He's allowed to choose a dog at Easy Pets, a rent-a-pet agency (a fact his parents keep from him). The moment he sees the odd-looking terrier, he knows he's found a friend for life. But no one tells Hal that Fleck must be returned. When Hal wakes up on Monday morning, Fleck is gone. If dog and boy are to stay together they'll have to run away. . . . From the renowned Eva Ibbotson comes a tale laced with humor and brimming over with heart, stunning in its beauty of the love of all things dog.
Author Notes
Eva Ibbotson was born in Vienna, Austria, on January 21, 1925. She graduated from Bedford College, London with a degree in physiology in 1945 and the University of Durham with a degree in education in 1965. Her first book, The Great Ghost Rescue, was published in 1975. She primarily wrote children's book and romance novels for adults and young adults. Her other works include The Secret of Platform 13, The Star of Kazan, Which Witch?, Island of the Aunts, Dial-a-Ghost, The Ogre of Oglefort, A Company of Swans, and A Song For Summer. She won the Nestlé Smarties Book Prize for Journey to the River Sea. She died on October 20, 2010 at the age of 85.
(Bowker Author Biography)
Reviews (5)
Publisher's Weekly Review
Readers who have grown to love Ibbotson's bighearted heroes and larger-than-life adventure stories will relish this final novel, published after her death in 2010. It introduces Hal Fenton, a British boy who has everything except the thing he wants most, a dog. Mistakenly, Hal believes his wish has finally come true when his father lets him pick out a pup for his 10th birthday. When he finds out that Fleck, the terrier he's chosen, is only rented for the weekend, Hal is understandably furious. Fueled by his rage, he sets out to retrieve Fleck from the Easy Pets shop and run away to Northumberland to live with his grandparents. Hal's mission is complicated when four more dogs (and the girl who set them free) decide to come along. Traveling on foot, the group finds surprises aplenty as they meet villains (including a bumbling detective's assistant hired by Hal's parents) as well as advocates who offer refuge. In true Ibbotson form, the lives of unlikely acquaintances are colorfully threaded together, and all characters get exactly what they deserve. Ages 8-12. Agent: Stephanie Thwaites, Curtis Brown. (Mar.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
Horn Book Review
This (sadly) last of the late Ibbotsons novels follows a classic formula. Boy gets dog, boy loses dog; that boy and dog will be reunited is never in doubt. After years of expensive and uninteresting presents, Hals parents finally give in to his greatest wish and get him a dog for his birthday. What they dont tell him is that Fleck is only a rental, due back at the Easy Pets Dog Agency (which specializes in this kind of reprehensible behavior) when the weekend ends. This will not do, but Ibbotson leads a brisk chase across London and, eventually, cross country as Hal, aided by underappreciated kennel maid Pippa, finds Fleck and determines to take him to Hals (also underappreciated) grandparents in far-off Northumbria. Their journey has welcome echoes of Dodie Smith, particularly as the trio is joined by four other dogs from Easy Pets, each one distinctly characterized and determined to find its true home. If the world is not so neatly divided into selfish, superficial grownups and openhearted, brave kids (and dogs and grandparents), never mind: the appeal of Ibbotsons books has always been the authors firm loyalty to children. roger sutton (c) Copyright 2012. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Booklist Review
Ibbotson's final book is a story with the heart of Lassie and the satirical bite of Roald Dahl. Hal is the only child of incredibly wealthy parents who stop at nothing to make him happy, yet they consistently refuse him a dog, the only thing he wants. When they finally relent and allow him to bring home Tottenham Terrier Fleck, Hal is unaware that the dog is only a weekend rental. Hal's parents are oblivious to the true nature of their son's desires, and this conflict sets in motion Hal's journey from London to Northumberland, accompanied by a girl named Pippa and five dogs in search of their soul mates. Ibbotson never talks down to her audience, nor does she vilify the parents so severely that their rehabilitation at the end is implausible. Themes of loyalty, greed, devotion, and home are woven through a text that is as funny as it is satisfying. Hal and Fleck show readers the legitimacy of children who know their own minds and the folly of the grown-ups who cross them.--Dean, Kara Copyright 2010 Booklist
School Library Journal Review
Gr 3-6-Ten-year-old Hal has been provided every luxury a boy could ask for. His parents are incredibly wealthy and, while they think they are fulfilling his every wish, they are completely missing the mark. All Hal wants is a dog to call his own. To squash this desire, his parents surprise Hal with a dog-but it's a rent-a-pet and has to be returned after the weekend. Once Hal discovers his beloved dog Flek has been returned behind his back, he decides to run away so they can remain together. He devises a plan to take Flek and make the journey from London to Scotland where his grandparents live. He goes to Easy Pets to get Fleck back and meets Pippa, the kennel maid's sister, who joins him on the trip along with four other dogs. This story embodies the bravery and loyalty of children and the special relationship animals play in our lives. Steven Crossley's narration is beautiful and gives the story life and character. Ibbotson has created a wonderful tale (Scholastic, 2012) of love and redemption, and listeners will cheer for the characters.-Jessica Gilcreast, Bedford School District, NH (c) Copyright 2013. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Kirkus Review
(Adventure. 9-14)]] Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Excerpts
Excerpts
From One Dog and His Boy That night, lying on the floor with Fleck curled up beside him, Hal was thinking. Often and often when you wanted something and then got it, it was a disappointment. But having a dog was completely different. He'd wanted it and wanted it and when it happened, it was even better than he'd thought it would be. He'd imagined some of it-the companionship and the warmth-but he didn't realize a dog would make you laugh so much, or that he would help you to make so many friends. It was extraordinary too how much a dog made you see. The hollows in the oak tree... and the way the acorns sat so neatly in their cups . . . how the earth clagged together, so dark after rain... Hal hadn't even noticed that it had rained. And how much he made you think. Fleck had found an iron grating over a drain when they went out in the afternoon. The drain had interested him so much that he'd lain down on his stomach, just looking and smelling and investigating, and Hal realized that he'd never before thought about what might live down there, in the black and evil-looking water. Hal reached up to turn on his night-light, but Fleck was lying across his feet and Hal didn't want to disturb him. Anyway, he didn't need a night-light now; he had a protector and a friend. Excerpted from One Dog and His Boy by Eva Ibbotson All rights reserved by the original copyright owners. Excerpts are provided for display purposes only and may not be reproduced, reprinted or distributed without the written permission of the publisher.
