Book Review: Answers to Dog by Pete Hautman

Publisher’s description

National Book Award winner Pete Hautman explores a friendship like no other—and the universal truth that dogs make life better, especially for underdogs.

Evan doesn’t seem to fit in at school or at home. He goes out of his way to avoid attention. He sits at the back of the bus, keeps his head down in class, and keeps to himself. But when a burr-covered border collie—a survivor with a gut instinct about the Boy—starts following him around and joining him on his runs, Evan’s simple duck-and-dodge existence becomes a lot more complicated . . . a lot more like life. Evolving from wary companions to steadfast friends, Evan and the dog run fast and far together, thwart an abusive dog breeder and the school bully, and find the courage to stand up for themselves and to open up to those who matter most. Narrated in alternating viewpoints, this relatable contemporary novel with classic coming-of-age themes has all the hope, pathos, and emotional complexity that mark Pete Hautman’s books for middle-grade readers—and is a deeply satisfying read for animal lovers.

Amanda’s thoughts

First, let me tell you I liked this book a lot and I love everything Hautman writes. Everything. But it took me days to read this book. Not the 90 minutes it would normally take (sorry to the authors, who probably take a bit more time than 90 minutes to write their books, for how quickly I read books), DAYS. Why? So this is a dog story. As you might ascertain. I love dogs. As you surely know. I can handle books where people die. Have you met people? We’re not that great. But I absolutely cannot handle books where I worry the dog might die. Have you met dogs? They’re great.

“I am having such a hard time with this book,” I said to my husband. “I’ve noticed,” he said, not used to seeing me carrying around the same book for days on end. “The animal neglect and abuse is so hard to read. And I’m so worried the dog will die. He probably won’t, right? I mean, this is for middle graders.” *Matthew then rambles off all the books we grew up reading where the dog dies* I read in silence for a while longer. I read some really rough scenes.

“GOD DAMN IT, PETE HAUTMAN, WHAT ARE YOU DOING TO ME?” I shouted at my book. My two rescue dogs, one of whom had a Very Bad Life prior to arriving here, looked startled.

So I decided to just buckle down, read it, and assume things would be okay. I would be okay. And they were, eventually. And I was. I guess.

This might be the part of this review where you’re wondering, “Wait, I thought she said she liked this book?” My criticism is not of the book, but of the entire idea of neglected, abused, malnourished, abandoned animals, even fictional animals. My heart breaks. But I read the book for the same reason I search rescue sites for the most demented looking scratch and dent dogs I can possibly find and then sit and sob over them—they deserve to be seen, to have their story told, to hopefully find a better story to get to live out the rest of their days. Same goes here for Dog, the main dog of this book.

When Evan encounters what appears to be a stray dog, keeping an eye on and hoping to maybe give a home to that dog becomes his main interest. It’s unlikely his parents will allow Evan to adopt it. His parents are kind of into their own things (for his dad, that’s carving mythological creatures and for his mom, that’s… sticking to routines and being sad?). But Evan keeps encountering this dog, eventually finding out where it lives, at which point he discovers the cruel and just generally awful human who used to breed but now mostly just neglects dogs. When something happens to this man (and you know what? I’m not a nice person. I own that. When something bad happened to this man, I said out loud, GOOD. I hope you die.), Evan can finally get close enough to not just Dog, but all the other dogs there, including some puppies in need of so much help. With the help of a classmate-turned-new-friend, Evan starts to untangle the mess these poor dogs have found themselves in. Through it all, his own life starts to look a little better than it has. He’s solidifying his interest in running, his parents are coming alive again, and Evan himself doesn’t seem quite so mopey (or depressed?) as he was.

The story is fast-paced, emotional, and full of tension. With all the pictures of my dogs on my desk in the library, I get to hear a lot about students’ dogs, many of whom are rescues. Kids ask me for dog books all the time. And listen, I told you the dog doesn’t die. I’d tell a kid that, too, if I handed them this book. Because I am probably not the only dog-loving reader who is so upset by the idea of a dead dog that it would interfere with my ability to enjoy or even finish (or maybe even start) a book about a stray-ish dog.

Dog’s story is not an easy one or one that quickly turns hopeful and positive. It’s rough ride. But in Hautman’s ever-capable hands, it’s a rough ride full of adventure, suspense, emotion, and a feeling that the path Dog is on, and maybe even the path Evan is on, is a profound one, that their connection will change their lives. Well-written, moving, and ultimately as joyful as it is sad.

Review copy (ARC) courtesy of the author

ISBN-13: 9781536234886
Publisher: Candlewick Press
Publication date: 10/01/2024
Age Range: 9 – 12 Years

Filed under: Book Reviews

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