The Dog Days of Charlotte Hayes

April 1, 2009
Gr 3-5-Sixth-grader Charlotte Hayes, upset by her family's neglect of their Saint Bernard, takes care of him even though she isn't much of a dog person. Her father, who likes bargains and the breed's looks, gets the pup cheap from a coworker and is attentive at first, as is her older sister. Her mother, never enthusiastic about a pet that will eventually weigh 200 pounds, doesn't want him in the house because he drools. Charlotte knows that she needs to find a better home for Beauregard, one where he isn't kept outside all the time with a doghouse that is too small and a water dish that only she fills. With help from two friends as well as from an elderly woman, Charlotte succeedsand then learns that maybe she is a dog person after all. Wise beyond her years, the protagonist is extremely concerned about what is right. This is a sweet, gentle story for larger collections."Elizabeth Swistock, Jefferson Madison Regional Library, Charlottesville, VA"

Copyright 2009 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

February 15, 2009
Grades 4-7 Charlottes father loves a bargain. But his enthusiasms pass quickly, and 11-year-old Charlotte is the only one who remembers to give the St. Bernard he bought food, water, and a belly rub. Charlotte is not a dog person. Beauregard deserves a better home, with a family who loves him and doesnt leave him outside. Determined to find him one, she works to buy the dog from her father to give to a rescue organization, earning money by helping an elderly neighbor. This gentle, appealing story covers the better part of a school year in which Charlotte not only becomes a dog person but also discovers that people who seem scary at firstLuanne, the silent new girl at school; the 84-year-old Petunia Parkercan become friends. The gradual change in her family, as her baby brother grows and her mother recovers from postpartum depression, is believable, and the small-town West Virginia setting forms a convincing backdrop. Even for certified nondog lovers, the familiar family and friendship issues and satisfying resolution make this an agreeable read.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2009, American Library Association.)

July 1, 2009
Though she's "not a dog person," Charlotte's the one who cares for the family pet. Recognizing the pup needs a better home, Charlotte raises money to buy it from her dad, then gives it to a rescue organization. Charlotte's complicated family (Mom with postpartum depression, Dad drawn quite unflatteringly) shakes up what might otherwise have been a conventional dog story.

(Copyright 2009 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)