No More Dead DogsSynopsis: Wallace Wallace cannot tell a lie. So when his teacher asks his opinion of the book covered in class, Wallace answers. But the teacher is unamused that his favorite book is not appreciated by all. Detention follows and hilarioty ensues as Wallace slowly takes over the theatre department, solves a mystery, wins a girl, and learns that truth . . . isn't always the most important thing.
Citation: Korman, Gordon. No More Dead Dogs. (2000). New York: Hyperion.
My thoughts: I made my coworker (who hates Old Yeller and loves theater) read this book; he loved it. The unrealistic but shockingly natural plot is perfect for middle school/high schoolers. The change of perspective keeps the reader jumping and always engaged. An excellent story.
Library usage: I think it would be entertaining to use this as a start for a censorship discussion using the premise that one man's opinion might not be another's then talk about books that the middle/high schooler's did and didn't like and why.
Review:
Gordon Korman's multigenre novel (part mystery, romance, epistolary fiction, and drama) No More Dead Dogs traces the unwonted directorial debut of its eighth-grade protagonist Wallace Wallace. After being suspended from the football team as punishment for writing a scathing review of his English teacher's favorite childhood book Old Shep, My Pal, the boy with a truth-telling fetish must learn to play politics or kiss his athletic career good-bye. Wallace serves detention for the English teacher/drama coach and is forced to endure endless rehearsal of an adaptation of the very same book for the stage. In the process, the boy discovers that he has a knack for theater and choreography, revives a lackluster performance of the canine-capping novel, and, at the same time, plays sleuth in a mystery involving a would-be saboteur of the theatrical troupe.
The joke upon which the title turns is Wallace's unhappy realization of a particular leitmotif in American literature: the sacrifice of countless dogs (e.g., Old Yeller, Sounder, Bristle Face). This becomes a metaphor for the premature loss of innocence, which the drama kids (believing they have intuited the source of Wallace's angst) chant in unison at rehearsal: "No more dead dogs." The fact is, while the book packs plot, it lacks witty follow-through of this amusing premise. We have no idea why Wallace initially champions the dog cause (other than a refusal to cater to the taste of his teacher); in fact, the book has nothing to do with the title theme whatever. Instead, No More Dead Dogs refocuses its attention on the travails of the president of the drama club, Rachel Turner, as she struggles to preserve the authority and artistic integrity of her theatrical mentor, Mr. Fogelman. Rachel, incidentally, is a girl with a bizarre fixation on Julia Roberts who writes obsessively to the star for counsel.
There are other problems with No More Dead Dogs, The book is filled with jokes aimed at an adult audience rather than one comprised of middle schoolers (e.g., one character spews a bountiful supply of mixed metaphors that the author must explain, uncommon as they are in the parlance of kids: "It's the icing on the gravy," "by any stretch of the means," "If the cake fits, eat it"). These are jokes that desperately wish to be funny but the book produces only one that would be considered genuinely amusing to its demographic. Wallace Wallace is relentlessly pursued throughout the story by a Mephistopheles-like ex--best friend named Cavanaugh who refers to the protagonist repeatedly as "Jackass Jackass." Even as I write that, I laugh--in a juvenile, David Spade sort of way. In my opinion, No More Dead Dogs had serious potential to be a much better book than the writing produced.
The joke upon which the title turns is Wallace's unhappy realization of a particular leitmotif in American literature: the sacrifice of countless dogs (e.g., Old Yeller, Sounder, Bristle Face). This becomes a metaphor for the premature loss of innocence, which the drama kids (believing they have intuited the source of Wallace's angst) chant in unison at rehearsal: "No more dead dogs." The fact is, while the book packs plot, it lacks witty follow-through of this amusing premise. We have no idea why Wallace initially champions the dog cause (other than a refusal to cater to the taste of his teacher); in fact, the book has nothing to do with the title theme whatever. Instead, No More Dead Dogs refocuses its attention on the travails of the president of the drama club, Rachel Turner, as she struggles to preserve the authority and artistic integrity of her theatrical mentor, Mr. Fogelman. Rachel, incidentally, is a girl with a bizarre fixation on Julia Roberts who writes obsessively to the star for counsel.
There are other problems with No More Dead Dogs, The book is filled with jokes aimed at an adult audience rather than one comprised of middle schoolers (e.g., one character spews a bountiful supply of mixed metaphors that the author must explain, uncommon as they are in the parlance of kids: "It's the icing on the gravy," "by any stretch of the means," "If the cake fits, eat it"). These are jokes that desperately wish to be funny but the book produces only one that would be considered genuinely amusing to its demographic. Wallace Wallace is relentlessly pursued throughout the story by a Mephistopheles-like ex--best friend named Cavanaugh who refers to the protagonist repeatedly as "Jackass Jackass." Even as I write that, I laugh--in a juvenile, David Spade sort of way. In my opinion, No More Dead Dogs had serious potential to be a much better book than the writing produced.
Graber, S. "No More Dead Dogs." Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy 46.2 (2002): 181. Literature Resource Center. Web.
Rules of the Road
Synopsis: Jenna works for Gladstone's Shoes where she is the best salesperson on staff. So when she's approached by the elderly president of the company, she reluctantly switches jobs from seller to driver. Together they set off on a cross-country journey from Chicago to Dallas, and what they find surprises them both.
Citation: Bauer, Joan. Rules of the Road. (1998). New York: Puffin.
My thoughts: I enjoyed this one. It was a bit predictable at places, but I really liked Jenna and particularly crumudgeony old Mrs. Gladstone. I was actually surprised to find reviews that didn't particularly like the book, though.
Reviews:
Bauer begins with an intriguing premise, weaves in unusual settings and creates an offbeat narrator to relay them. But a supporting cast of stock characters and forced dialogue may disappoint readers of her previous novels. --Publisher's Weekly
"RULES OF THE ROAD." Publishers Weekly 20 Dec. 1999: 82. Literature Resource Center. Web.
Funny young adult writers are a rare treasure, and Joan Bauer is one of the funniest. Critics and young readers rejoiced at her three previous novels--Squashed, Thwonk, and Sticks--and with Rules of the Road, she has written a story that is wise and touching as well as comical. Jenna Boller is too tall for a sophomore and she's not much good in school. Her sister Faith got all the looks in the family, but boy, can Jenna sell shoes! She's supremely happy at her after-school job at Gladstone's, where the big white sign over the door says "We're Not Just Selling Shoes, We're Selling Quality." When elderly Mrs. Madeline Gladstone, the crusty president of the company, chooses Jenna as her driver on a business trip to visit other Gladstone's stores, Jenna goes reluctantly--with trepidation at driving the huge Cadillac, and at the prospect of leaving her alcoholic father behind. But on the road, Jenna learns "great road truths" such as "Never eat at a place called Mom's, because it's a safe bet Mom's been dead for years." She also proves to be indispensable (possessing an eagle eye for shoddy quality and sloppy service), and soon learns to admire and love the irascible Mrs. Gladstone as well as her old friend, "World's Best Shoe Salesman" Harry Bender. When Harry dies suddenly, Jenna realizes that she wishes he had been her father. Trouble looms in the form of a company takeover by Mrs. Gladstone's sleazy son, Elden, "Shoe Rodent," but Jenna summons courage from Harry's memory and saves the day for quality shoes. Rules of the Road is a treat that will utterly delight readers. (Age 12 and older) --Patty Campbell Amazon.com Review
Awards: Los Angeles Times Book Prize, 1998
ALA Notable Book
ALA Best Book for Young Adults
ALA Quick Pick
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