Available:*
Library | Call Number | Status |
---|---|---|
Searching... Hardwood Creek Library (Forest Lake) | J FICTION ENG | Searching... Unknown |
Searching... Lake Elmo Library | J FICTION ENG | Searching... Unknown |
Searching... Park Grove Library (Cottage Grove) | J FICTION ENG | Searching... Unknown |
Searching... R.H. Stafford Library (Woodbury) | J FICTION ENG | Searching... Unknown |
Searching... R.H. Stafford Library (Woodbury) | J FICTION ENG | Searching... Unknown |
Searching... Stillwater Public Library | J FICTION ENG | Searching... Unknown |
Searching... Wildwood Library (Mahtomedi) | J FICTION ENG | Searching... Unknown |
Bound With These Titles
On Order
Summary
Summary
When Tony's mother is sent to jail, he is sent to stay with a great uncle he has never met in Sierra Nevada. It is a daunting move--Tony's new world bears no semblance to his previous one. But slowly, against a remote and remarkable backdrop, the scars from Tony's troubled past begin to heal.
With his Tió and a search-and-rescue dog named Gabe by his side, he learns how to track wild animals, is welcomed to the Cowboy Church, and makes new friends at the Mountain School. Most importantly though, it is through Gabe that Tony discovers unconditional love for the first time, in Mountain Dog by Margarita Engle.
A Kirkus Reviews Best Book of 2013
Author Notes
Margarita Engle is a Cuban-American poet and novelist. Her books include The Wild Book, Tropical Secrets, The Firefly Letters, The Lightning Dreamer, When You Wander, Mountain Dog, and Silver People. She has received several awards including the Jane Addams Children's Book Award, the Pura Belpré Award, the Américas Award, and the Claudia Lewis Poetry Award for The Surrender Tree and the Pura Belpré Award and the Américas Award for The Poet Slave of Cuba.
(Bowker Author Biography)
Reviews (4)
Horn Book Review
His mother gone to prison, Tony is sent to live with a great-uncle he's never met, a forest ranger who lives in the Sierra Nevadas with his search-and-rescue dog, Gabe. There's a good story here, but the verse-novel format (with narration by Tony and Gabe) isn't quite right, and the illustrations are at tonal odds with the text. (c) Copyright 2014. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
School Library Journal Review
Gr 4-7-Eleven-year-old Tony has had a tough life and now his mother, an immigrant, is in prison for training fighting pit bulls. Fortunately, his great uncle agrees to take him in. Tio is a forest ranger who, along with his dog Gabe, rescues people lost in the wilderness. Suddenly, Tony is living far from Los Angeles in the Sierra Nevada. Written in free verse, this story is told from the perspectives of Tony and Gabe. The chocolate lab senses the boy's internal struggles as he deals both with his sadness about his mother and his wonder at this beautiful new place. Wise and kind, Tio begins to train Tony to work with the rescue volunteers and gives his nephew the best gift of all when he welcomes him into his home permanently, helping him gain the confidence he needs to begin planning a positive future. Gabe's insights into Tony's struggles and his vividly captured doggy enthusiasm and devotion keep the story upbeat. The bond that develops between the canine and boy makes this book an inspiring read that will be especially believable to dog lovers. Black-and-white drawings appear throughout the story, and these empathetic depictions of the characters, animals, and setting capture the spirit of the text. A thoughtful and sensitive story that touches on immigration, family, and other serious issues.-Carol Schene, formerly at Taunton Public Schools, MA (c) Copyright 2013. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Booklist Review
Tony moves to Sierra Nevada with his forest ranger great uncle, following his mother's arrest for dog fighting. Tony quickly connects with Gabe, Tio Leonilo's search-and-rescue dog. With the help of Gabe, and through writing a blog and poetry, Tony settles into his new life of search and rescue; Cowboy Church, with its dogs and horses; loud Gracie from school; and trips to visit his mother in prison. He works hard to overcome his fear of math, which had always meant calculating dog bets, so that he can study veterinary science in college. Tony's transformation is told in free verse that alternates between Tony's and Gabe's voices. Clear, strong language captures Tony's pain, and while the ending is tidy, his relationship with his mom remains complicated and honest. The details about search and rescue, the Pacific Coast trail, and dogs and bears keep the book's action high and will appeal to wilderness fans. Black-and-white illustrations complete the package.--Harold, Suzanne Copyright 2010 Booklist
Kirkus Review
An absorbing story of an 11-year-old boy from Los Angeles who, when his mother is incarcerated for organizing pit-bull dogfights, moves in with his forest-ranger great-uncle and his chocolate Lab in their remote cabin high in the Sierra Nevadas. Writing in verse with an understated simplicity that quietly packs a punch, Engle compassionately portrays a boy who is struggling to leave his "pit-bull life" behind--though "the sad / mad / abandoned" memories of visits to his mother in the Valley State Prison for Women make this difficult. Soon after he arrives, Tony's great-uncle To takes him on the first of many wilderness tours in which he learns about thru-hikers on the Pacific Coast Trail, trail angels and trail magic. And Gabe, a skilled search-and-rescue dog, plays a big and joyful role in helping Tony feel a part of things: "Gabe time. Dog time. Dirty, dusty, / rolling around in grass time"; by hiding as a volunteer "victim," Tony helps SAR dogs practice finding a lost hiker and feels useful. Revealing both Tony's and Gabe's points of view in alternating chapters, the author deftly incorporates a fascinating mix of science, nature (cool facts aplenty) and wilderness lore into a highly accessible narrative that makes room for a celebration of language: "Maybe words / are my strength. / I could turn out to be / a superhero / with secret / syllable powers." The Ivanovs' black-and-white illustrations nimbly reflect the story's tone. Poignant and memorable. (author's note) (Verse fiction. 8-12)]] Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Excerpts
Excerpts
1 TONY THE BOY NO NO NO MAYBE In my other life there were pit bulls. The puppies weren't born vicious, but Mom taught them how to bite, turning meanness into money, until she got caught. Now I don't know where I'll live, or what sort of foster family I'll have to face each morning. I dread the thought of a new school, new friends, no friends, no hope.... No! No no no no no. But the social-worker lady doesn't listen to NO. She's like a curious puppy, running, exploring, refusing to accept collars and fences. She keeps promising to find a relative who will give me a place where I can belong. I don't believe her. There aren't any relatives-- not any that I've ever met. I know I'm right, but family court makes me feel dumb, with judges and uniforms wrapped up in rules. It's a world made for grown-ups, not unlucky kids. Even the angriest pit bulls are friendlier than my future. Everyone talks about dog years, but all I can see now is minutes. Each impossibly long dog minute with the frowning judge and cheerful social worker feels like it could go on and on forever. Mom's cruelty to animals was her fault, not mine, but now I'm the one suffering, as if her crimes are being blamed on me. When the social worker keeps smiling, I find it hard to believe she's actually found a relative, a great-uncle, Tío Leonilo. What a stupid name! Maybe I can call him Leo the Lion, or just tío , just uncle, as if I actually know my mother's first language, the Spanish she left behind when she floated away from her native island with me in her mean belly. The social worker promises me that although Tío is old--nearly fifty-- he's cool. He lives on a mountain, rescues lost hikers, guides nature walks, and takes care of trees. He's a forest ranger. She might as well say he's a magician or a genie who lives in a bottle. I've spent all my life in the city. All I know is Los Angeles noise, smog, buses, traffic, and the gangs, and my mom, the dogs, fangs, blood, claws. Nothing makes sense. Why would a cool uncle want to share his long-lost relative's kid-trouble? This can't be real. Real life should feel real, but this feels all weird and scary, like a movie with zombies or aliens. When a man in a forest green uniform walks into the courtroom, he hugs me and calls me Tonio, even though Mom never called me anything but Tony or Hey You or Toe Knee.... Out in the hall, Tío shows me a photo of a dog, a chocolate Lab--goofy grin, silly drool--not a fighting dog, just a friendly dog, eager, a pal. Tío walks me out of that crazy scary courthouse, into a parking lot where the happy dog is waiting in a forest green truck. I have to meet Gabe's welcoming doggie eyes and sniffy nose, even though I'm not ready to meet nice dogs, cool uncles, or anyone else. Well, maybe just one sniff is okay. When I pat Gabe on his soft, furry head, he gives my hand a few trusting, slobbery licks. Yuck. copyright © 2013 by Margarita Engle Excerpted from Mountain Dog by Margarita Engle 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.