Flash the Sheep Dog

by Kathleen Fidler

Tom Stokes is an orphan. His sister is going to America to get married, but where can he go? They remember an uncle and aunt they scarcely know who live in the borders of Scotland. After the city bustle of London, Tom finds his uncle's farm barren and lonely. How can he adjust to such a life? Help comes in the form of a sheepdog pup, and his loneliness is forgotten when Tom realizes it is his, to love and to train (maybe to be a champion). Life on the hill-farm, with his new friend Elspeth, and Flash, becomes adventurous and challenging. Then his sister writes that Tom can come and live with her in America, and he is faced with the most difficult decision of his life ...

Paperback

Published January 1, 1989

About the author

Born in 1899 in Coalville, Leicestershire, Kathleen Annie Fidler was educated at Wigan Girls' High School, and at St. Mary's College in Bangor, North Wales. She was the headmistress of the Scot Lane Evening Institute from 1924-30, and taught at St. Paul's Girls' School, Wigan, from 1925-30. Fidler married J.H. Goldie in 1930, and had one daughter and one son. She spent most of her married life in the Edinburgh area, and died in 1980.

A prolific author, who penned both children's books and scripts for the BBC, Fidler is perhaps best remembered as the creator of two series, one about the Brydon family, the other about the Deans.

Reviews

[Amy (Golden Books Girl) · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the story of Tom, who is sent to live with his aunt and uncle on their farm after his sister gets married and moves to America without him, and he becomes involved with training his new dog Flash to take part in a sheepdog trial. I really struggled to get into this as it was quite slow paced, and I also couldn`t connect to Tom very much, though I did warm to him slightly more when I saw how kind he was to the various animals he meets. I did, however, like his aunt and uncle and the bantering relationship they have, and I thought Elspeth was a supportive friend. Another thing I found interesting was learning a bit about how sheepdogs are trained. Finally, while I didn`t love the writing style, I did like seeing the use of Scots language and I also thought it had a cosy, nostalgic feel to it that reminded me of reading things such as the Caravan Family and Jess the Border Collie when I was young. 3.5/5