Space Dogs

by Justin Ball

It all begins with Laika, the first dog in space. Launched into orbit by the Soviet Union, Laika’s craft is accidentally sucked through a wormhole and onto the Planet Gersbach, inhabited by highly intelligent but very tiny people.
When a mysterious disturbance of gravity (D.O.G.) threatens to destroy Gersbach, Commanders Belka and Strelka are just the men to seek and destroy the source of D.O.G. Their A highly sophisticated craft that looks exactly like a terrier. Blending in with the locals on earth should be no problem.
And with the help of the Buckleys, a lovable Earth family with problems of their own, the mission to save their planet may still prevail.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Chapter Books, Science Fiction

272 pages, Hardcover

First published April 11, 2006

Reviews

[Jayden Goodrem · Rating 5 out of 5]

Funny, imaginative Justin ball and even Croker worked well on this book.

[Julia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Space dogs is a science fiction comedy about a dog who gets sent into space and then travels through a wormhole and lands on another planet. This planet is slowly being torn apart my a mysterious gravitational force. To fix it, their government made dog shaped spacecrafts to travel through the wormhole, however one gets stolen by the evil Colonel Bars. The government then sends Commanders Belka and Strelka to stop them, as well as figure out how to stop the disturbance of gravity (D.O.G.) that is destroying their planet. When they get to earth, both dog-crafts are adopted by a family, who are facing tough times of their own. Their father hurt his back and now can't work, so the two girls mother must take care of them.
I really enjoyed the humor in the book and I think children would as well. This book as a slightly complicated plot, and the point of view switches off, so it may get a little confusing to children at some points, but I think it's a great way to introduce them to multiple points of view. This book also teaches children about bravery and patriotism as the aliens fight to save their home planet. However, the middle of this book does get off focus as the aliens turn get more involved in being pets then their mission. There is also a love story in this book, between one of the daughters and a boy.
I think this is a great book to introduce children to different points of view and a complex plot. It is filled with adventure, humor and also some information about our solar system.

[Fabiana · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was hilarious!

I read it to my 8 year old son before bed time, every night looking forward to finding out more about the space travelers. Then my husband got hooked.

It starts with the real fact of the Russian dog Laika going into space, this gave us an excuse to do a little research into space exploration. Quickly takes off in unexpected directions and has surprises on every page.

Besides the crazy space adventure, it contains a parallel human story about self-confidence and family. Although a bit disconnected from the main plot, it still makes you feel warm and fuzzy and complies with the requirement of having some sort of "moral of the story", so adults will approve of it, and be willing to overlook the crude jokes about A.N.O.S. and such.

Great fun! It reads like a movie. Don't be surprised if some studio picks it up.

[Goldenwattle · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed and was amused by this book.