Walkin' the Dog

by Chris Lynch

“Lynch is back and better, smarter, and funnier than ever.” —Jacqueline Woodson, National Book Award Winner

A boy learns how to be a friend from man’s best friend in this funny and moving middle grade novel about humans being able to change and dogs changing us from acclaimed author Chris Lynch.

In a family of strong personalities with very strong points of view, Louis is what his mother lovingly calls “the inactivist,” someone who’d rather kick back than stand out. He only hopes he can stay under the radar when he starts high school in the fall, his first experience with public school after years of homeschooling.

But when a favor for a neighbor and his stinky canine companion unexpectedly turns into a bustling dog-walking business, Louis finds himself meeting an unprecedented number of new friends—both human and canine. Agatha, a quippy and cagey girl his age always seems to be telling two truths and a lie. Cyrus, a few years his senior, promises he’s going to show Louis how to be a better person, whether Louis wants him to or not. And then there are the misbehaving border terriers, the four (possible stolen) sausage dogs, the rest of Louis’s charges, and a mysterious white beast who appears at a certain spot at the edge of the woods.

Dogs and human alike all seem to have something they want to teach Louis, including his menacing older brother who keeps turning up everywhere. But is Louis ready to learn the lesson he needs how to stop being a lone wolf and be part of a pack?

Genres: Middle Grade, Realistic Fiction, Adventure, Childrens, Family, Animals, Young Adult

240 pages, Hardcover

Published March 12, 2024

About the author

Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name.

Reviews

[Miriam Kahn · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's a coming of age story for tweens and young teens who want a summer adventure!

This charming tale features Louis who is home schooled and headed to public school in the fall. His father volunteers Louis to dog walk and feed the neighbor's dog. As you can imagine, this snowballs into taking care of more and more dogs and enlisting the help of other tweens.

While the theme of tweens and dog walkers isn't new, there's a nice twist to this one as Louis learns to be a friend.

Thanks to the BookLoft of German Village (Columbus, OH) http://www.bookloft.com for an ARC to read and review.

[Lindsey Eick · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thank you @simonkids for this ARC. It was a wonderful story that was perfect for middle school kids, not grades 3-7, due to the issues presented and a couple bad language words presented. I loved how Louis and Agatha’s characters resonated with me, as well as the secondary characters of Cy, Ike, and Faye. I felt everyone was written extremely relatable. I just wish the story would have felt more finished to me. It felt like it just ended. Overall, a good story for middle-grade kids, especially boys.

[Tanja ~ KT Book Reviews · Rating 5 out of 5]

Being a kid aint easy. Especially if your world has changed. Louis is not very comfortable with the way his life is going. New living situation, a mom who has issues, a brother who feels like too much, and a sister who's just trying to fill in some of the missing pieces. With the help of a few new canine friends and a big push from those around him, Louis will learn a lot the summer before high school. Walkin' the Dog is a realistic and moving story about a family moving through crisis and the beginnings of the healing process.


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[Paige (pagebypaigebooks) · Rating 3 out of 5]

“You cannot rewrite parts of life. Not even little parts. They all matter, and they all contribute to the whole of things.”

I'd like to thank Simon & Schuster for sending me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!

I've also posted this review on Instagram and my blog.

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Content Warnings: animal death, mention of domestic violence, addiction, ill parents

Walkin' The Dog is a very emotional story about family, belonging, and of course, dogs. If you're planning on recommending this book to younger readers please check out my content warnings above as there are some heavy topics discussed. Overall, I enjoyed reading about Louis' journey toward self-confidence. Through his experience as a dog walker, he learned about how important it is to take action and be a positive contributor to his community. It also brought him closer to family and friends which he relied on for support throughout the book. At times I found the writing style to be a bit confusing and scattered which took me out of the story. The overall pacing of the story also felt somewhat disjointed with some chapters being very action-packed and fast, while others were very slow. My favourite parts of this book were the dogs. I loved learning about each of their personalities and how they interacted with their owners and Louis.

[Mimi]

The dogs deserved better and that's all I'll say about this book.

[Sudeshna Banerjee · Rating 4 out of 5]

I would like to thank Netgalley for providing me with an ARC copy of this book. The cover photo and the title intrigued me into reading it and I am glad that I did.

Louis is done with homeschooling and ready for high school. But first, he spends his summer walking dogs for cash and company. He bonds with the furry friends, each with their own quirks, as Lynch portrays in this book. He longs for his mom, who is in rehab, and tries to avoid his annoying sister and scary brother. He hates being called an “inactivist” by his family, who don’t get him. He finds it hard to talk to people and make friends. But two fellow dog lovers, Aggie and Cy, break through his shell and show him the value of friendship. Louis may or may not be neurodivergent, but anyone who struggles with socializing will relate.

The writing skills of the author are flawless and I was engaged throughout the book. Through his captivating writing style I could visualise the whole plot unfold infront of my eyes. I will highly recommend this book. Grab your copy today and you will definitely enjoy reading it as much as I did.

#NetGalley

[Doreen · Rating 4 out of 5]

3/28/2024 Can't decide whether that's a straight 4 stars or 3.5 rounded up. Full review tk at TheFrumiousConsortium.net.

4/3/2024 Louis is a good kid, but his life isn't the typical kind you see portrayed in the media. His dad took early retirement from firefighting in the city to become a fisherman in a much more laidback environment. His mom is a perennial do-gooder who wound up getting significantly hurt while breaking up a fight at the women's shelter where she volunteers, so is now in in-patient rehab, to the dismay of her kids. Louis' younger sister Faye is a charming know-it-all who's taken over running their household in the meantime. And his older brother Ike... well, Ike is the real reason they left their old neighborhood behind. Ike did not have a great high school experience, but hopefully high school will be different for Louis and Faye now that they've moved away from the city.

Louis is actually pretty worried about starting high school soon. It doesn't help that he and Faye have been homeschooled up till now. Mom is super smart and fully capable of tutoring kids -- hers or others -- to success, but even she knows her limitations.

And it isn't really the academics that worry Louis. He's a smart kid after all. But he doesn't really have any friends outside of Faye, which will do very little to help him make a success of his high school career.

That begins to change when his dad asks him to dogsit Amos, the incredibly stinky dog of one of their incredibly stinky neighbors (an unfortunate occupational hazard of the fishing industry.) If Louis walks Amos while his owner helps Dad out on the boat, then both Singletarys can make some money. Louis agrees despite his mother disapproving of his capitalist tendencies, and soon finds himself at the head of a burgeoning dog walking business.

More importantly -- and more interestingly -- than collecting clients is Louis' newfound knack for collecting friends. And not just from the ranks of the people who want him to walk their dogs, or even of the dogs themselves. Aggie comes into his life, as does Cy, and soon Louis starts thinking he might actually have a pack of his own to run with. But with Ike constantly looming in the background, and with his worries about Ma never far from his thoughts, will Louis be able to successfully navigate this pivotal summer before high school, and go in to his new academic experience with confidence?

The best things about this Middle Grade novel (and honestly, I think I should finally make a new MG category for this here at The Frumious Consortium, because Walkin' The Dog is, sure, a children's book, but it's not a children's book,) are the lively, completely believable dialog between the characters as well as Louis' own inner monolog. Louis is smart and funny and insecure, and has maybe been done a disservice by his parents in not being actively encouraged to make more friends. It's rare for most non-religious homeschoolers to feel as socially isolated as Louis and Faye do, so idk what was going on there, especially when they're such likeable kids.

I also loved how the kids, Aggie and Cy included, came together and confronted new problems and worked them out, forming friendships and bonds. I even liked the rapprochement between Louis and Ike, even if I still thought it was weird that the firefighting community Dad had been a part of had been subject to the disrespect that the American policing community has, unfortunately but actually, earned. Like, who hates firefighters? It felt like an odd workaround to an underlying writerly problem that readers weren't otherwise privy too.

But I think what bothered me the most about this otherwise charming novel was how abruptly the book ended. I suppose, as in real life, that there aren't really any neat chapters marking the beginning and end of things. The point here, after all, was to describe a pivotal summer. I really did think that the whole thing with Ike should have been better addressed tho, because he really is so much different from the rest of the Singletarys that it almost didn't feel possible that he was raised by the same parents. Sure there's a black sheep in every family but I think I would have liked to see the reasons behind this difference better explored.

Overall, however, this was a worthwhile and highly entertaining book about a young man getting ready for high school. There are animal deaths, so be warned if that's a trigger for you. Walkin' The Dog is a smart and funny book with unusual characters that covers ground that usually isn't addressed in most middle grade novels. I liked it a lot, despite my small criticisms.

Walkin' The Dog by Chris Lynch was published March 12 2024 by Simon & Schuster Books For Young Readers and is available from all good booksellers, including Bookshop!

[Ms. Yingling · Rating 3 out of 5]

During the summer before high school, things are not going exactly the way Louis would like. His father is a fisherman, and needs Louis to walk Old Man Dan's dog so that Dan can go out and work on the boat. Both Dan and his dog, Amos, are both rather odiferous, for various reasons, but the dog is commonly called "Anus" because of his smell. While Louis isn't thrilled with getting up early and walking the dog, it's a pleasant enough way to spend time, and it might get him out of visiting his mother. His mother worked at a women's shelter, and after an injury sustained at work, became addicted to pain killers. She's been recuperating at the Knoll, but isn't ready to come home yet. Louis' slightly older sister, Faye, is determined that they will visit their mother, especially since another brother, Ike (who is training to be a policeman), doesn't get along with her quite as well. While out walking Amos, he meets Agnes, who forcibly becomes his friend. She even tags along to a new dog walking client that Dan has arranged for Louis, in exchange for a discount, of course! The friendship with Agnes is amusing, and a good thing for Louis, because he has been homeschooled and struggles a bit with making friends. Faye especially is amused by Agnes, and encourages the two to spend time together. There are plenty of dogs to walk, and Louis even finds a couple of unusual dogs at the edge of town. One of these seemingly belongs to Agnes, but she's not always telling the entire truth, especially about where she lives. Louis misses his mother, and desperately wants her to come home. He meets up with Cy, who is a few years older, and who had been tutored by his mother for some tests a few years back. Cy lives in the same apartment building as Agnes, although Agnes has claimed to live in a mansion. It's not always easy to deal with the dogs, his mother, his older brother, or the thought of going to public school for high school. Will Louis find the support he needs to continue to make progress in his life?

Lynch, who has written a wide variety of young adult novels, including the I Pledge Allegiance series and the fantastic 1995 Slot Machine, gives us an interesting look at a very mundane yet impactful summer in one young man's life. It's good to see Louis put his freedome to good use, walking dogs, visiting his mother, and hanging out with Agnes and Cy. The problems he has to face are interspersed with amusing activities and dogs, and his relationship with Agnes is peppered with witty repartee and an eventual light romance.

Louis is such a great character, and shows a lot of reluctant resilience. He doesn't want to get up early and walk the dog, but his mother has inculcated in him that he should help others, so he does it with good grace. He doesn't like Ike or the way his brother treats him, and copes with this by avoiding his brother, which is sometimes the only thing to be done. He and Faye get along well, and seeing the juxtaposition of the sibling relationships adds another layer of interest to the book.

There are some sad things; not one but two dogs die, Louis' mother struggles all summer with dealing with her addiction, and Ike is not at all pleasant to his brother for most of the book. The publisher lists this as being for readers ages 8-12, in grades 3-7, but I think that the book will resonate most with slightly older readers who will appreciate the introspection and the descriptive quality of Lynch's fantastic writing. There is one f-word, and lots of description of dog effluvia, so is perhaps not the best choice for tender readers.

Older readers who enjoy combining human social drama with dog shenanigan's will love this one; I need to let one of my readers who would ONLY read dog books know about this one, now that he has moved on to the high school. He read everything I could find, like Cameron's Zeus: Water Rescue (Dogs With A Purpose #1), Northrop's Rotten, and Jennifer Li Shotz's various dog books like Scout. I liked that Walkin' the Dog focused a little more on Louis' journey with the dogs as sidekicks, instead of focusing on what the dogs were thinking and feeling!

[Therearenobadbooks · Rating 4 out of 5]

I would say this middle-grade is written in a literary fiction style. 

I love the (in your face) author's voice, where the character's thoughts mix with the narrative pretty well (making the first person closer to the character than it usually is). 

The children's humor borders on sarcasm with some references that maybe older readers and adults will get faster. The literary fiction writing style sometimes makes us take a step back to get the meaning.

The humor is balanced with the heaviness of some content. Overall, it didn't upset me. I feel that the author faces the good, the bad, and the ugly with the same honesty, and his character Louis can handle it. For example: his mother is so kind and sensible that she is hospitalized for not being able to cope with the world. 

It has a cynical tone to it sometimes, but it is still very honest. Mostly, the author's message is that we learn more by witnessing the world than by staying away and isolated.  

"I'm not sending you to protest. I'm just sending you to witness, son. Be a witness to your world. The world needs witnesses. The bad guys do their baddest when there are no witnesses."

Sometimes isolation makes bad people get away with it, and maybe someone out there needs our help.

The character grows up and has self-confidence. He learns to be a better friend but still keeps his strength to face the world we live in. 

I recommend it to older middle graders and YA. But I definitely like the author's style. It has an old-school vibe of 50s classics.

Here are some funny and provocative quotes: 

"The woman at the front desk says she's been expecting me, which is quite something, since I wasn't expecting me." 

"She is half-right, which is 50 percent less right than she usually is."

"I tend to believe that things are gonna work out, on their own, without any help from me, the way they should. Ma (...) works at a shelter (...) all the pain of A Woman's Place - and that is a world of pain - is her pain. She is an inspiration to me. In a way, she would never want to be. Meaning. I'm determined that what happened to her will never happen to me." 

Although it's scary to start high school after learning at home, I can't avoid feeling excited for the world of possibilities and experiences he will face and learn from. Louis is a little ruffian and he'll be just fine. Agatha is his friend after all and there are... dogs. Dogs can be magical. 

I am curious to read more from this author. Will check past titles. This was my first contact with his work. 

[Eliott · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thank you to Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers for letting me read an ARC of this book through NetGalley!

Walkin' the Dog
Overall Rating: ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ (3/5) or 6.42/10 overall

Characters - 7
The characters in this book were unique and had clear personalities that came through in their interactions. However, they all felt rather bland and one-note. Louis was seemingly the only dynamic character, and even then, the change was minimal, which made the story seem to drag for me.

Atmosphere - 6
I could picture the different settings throughout the story, but the atmosphere did nothing to make them more interesting. That might just be part of the way Louis viewed the world though. If it wasn't interesting to Louis, why should it be interesting to the reader.

Writing - 6
The writing was decent. A lot of the time was spent really fleshing out the little details in the character's pasts, which helping to make the characters more realistic, but really took away from the enjoyment factor to me due to these details rarely playing a role in the story.

Plot - 7
The plot was alright and it was certainly a feel-good story in the end. However, I did not vibe with the time/setting shifts. There were a few chapters that just immediately changed from one place and time to another (nothing surreal or time-travel-ish, but different from where the plot left off) seemingly just to introduce some new dogs that Louis was walking? It made the plot feel a bit odd and disjointed to me. Plus, it made the book harder to follow, since there were all these new minor characters that Louis interacted with.

Intrigue - 6
Honestly, the book was not all that intriguing to me overall. There were a few times where I really had to know what happened next, but mostly I just felt apathetic towards the book.

Logic - 7
The book was rather logical. Aside from the awkward time skips, I could understand where the characters were and what their motives might be.

Enjoyment - 6
I enjoyed certain aspects of this book. It was certainly fun to visualize all the dogs and some emotional points felt well-thought out. :)

[Stephanie Tournas · Rating 4 out of 5]

Louis’s homeschooling has ended and he enters high school in the fall. He falls into dog walking first as a favor to a friend of his dad’s, and then word spreads and his client list expands. He doesn’t mind the money he’s earning, and he’s happy to be out of his house for the summer. He also starts to love the dogs, and Lynch gives each one of them personality in this book. His mother is recovering from addiction at a rehab center, and he misses her. His little sister Faye annoys him and his older brother Ike is a frighteningly brutish person on a loud Harley. Louis accepts the nickname of “inactivist” that his family has given him, but doesn’t like their interference in his life. He just doesn’t like to do hard things, and talking to other people is one of those things. But dog walking brings him out into the world, and he meets two people who seem to like him despite his resistance to their friendship. Aggie and Cy both help him with the dogs, and he helps them by being their friend. Is Louis neurodivergent? Maybe, but anyone who has a hard time accepting friendships into their life will identify.

Lynch uses humor and playfulness to paint clear pictures of all of the people in Louis’s life. Dad is a fisher, and is “very seafaring,” Mom a burnt out activist. Faye is an agent of “faos.” The old fisher who has a smelly dog is “smellderly.” Readers who enjoy license with language will get a kick out of these Louis-isms. There’s an affecting chapter where Louis goes with his father on a fishing tour, learns of the ethics of killing fish, and realizes that his dad has taught him “how to love somebody.” Aggie is a friend who is a girl, but there isn’t romance, and this is nice. Not all threads in the story are tied up, and that’s okay. Why is Ike such a brute, and why does he hate Cy? Why is Cy so devoted to Louis? Just as in real life, all you can do is laugh when you can and love the dogs.

[Melanie Dulaney · Rating 3 out of 5]

Chris Lynch, author of YA books such as Freewill, Iceman, and Gypsy Dancer, enters the world of middle grade novels with this story of change. Louis has always been known for lack of engaging with the world around him to such an extent that his mother has dubbed him the “INactivist,” but this summer he finds that about to change. A forced dog sitting gig reveals a camaraderie that exists between Louis and the four-legged (and sometimes even three) and a lucrative dog-walking business begins. That business leads to meeting new people, making a few friends, coming to grips with his mother’s current stint in a rehab facility for her addiction to pain-killers, and discovering that life is better with a pack instead of going it alone. Lynch does an excellent job of conveying Louis’ solitary life and the changes over time as well as creating memorable characters in bossy little sister Faye, overbearing and hostile elder brother Ike, friendly but struggling with a difficult home life Agatha and all-around good guy Cy. The introductory section starts slowly and may lose readers before they are fully immersed in what develops within several storylines, but once the main players are actively engaged in their contributions to Louis’ changes in thinking and behaving, older elementary and middle school students will want to reach the book’s satisfying conclusion. Race is not a real factor in Walkin’ the Dog, but Cy is from a Haitian background. Louis’ family is middle of the road financially and Agatha and Cy’s families struggle to make ends meet. Families represented by dog owners and of the main characters have diverse compositions. There is no violence or sexual content but there is one F-bomb that seemed to be placed there to show how ineffective Louis is in making a good argument even with a strong expletive. (It is my hope that the final edition deletes this word.)

Thanks for the print arc, Simon & Schuster for Young Readers.

[Kara Dennison]

Louis, unlike his mother, is known for being an "inactivist." It's not that he doesn't acknowledge the bad things happening in the world; he just isn't convinced he can do much about them. But with his mother away from home receiving care and a friend of his father's in need of assistance, there's only so much longer he can remain inactive. So begins an unexpected summer gig as a dog walker, starting with the smelly hound Amos and branching out into other clients.

Along with this growing clientele comes a growing friend group. As Louis's mother urges him to become more aware and active, he reconnects with Cy, one of her more accomplished tutees. He also crosses paths with the strong-willed but personally reticent Agatha. Balancing this new social life, work, and an incoming shift from homeschooling to "real" school would be enough for one inactive kid. But there's also his violent older brother Ike to deal with, as well as the looming specter of his mother's mental health. And, as it happens, dog-walking isn't always a walk in the park. We invest a lot of emotion in our furry friends, but they can't be with us forever.

I'm a firm believer that books for young readers deserve to be just as artfully written as books for adults, and Chris Lynch goes above and beyond in Walkin' the Dog. His writing style is engaging and clever without ever feeling quippy or overshadowing the growth of his characters. Louis, for all his inactivism, is a likable character, and we want to watch him grow and mature. It's a meaningful, delightful read that's about so much more than dog-walking.

[Debra · Rating 4 out of 5]

Chris Lynch is great with his characters in middle and high school grades. All of his characters feel like kids I know in school. In this heartfelt book you will meet Louis who is labeled by his Mom as an inactivist. Her activism is broadly focused, but that means her heart is often broken by those who do not understand the ways the world breaks down every day through choices we each make. Louis had an older brother who is destructive and angry and always into fights. He also has a sister who pushes him to get involved with folks rather than staying home and doing nothing all summer. Louis becomes involved in the business of dog walking where he meets Agatha and he, his sister, and Agatha start a bit of a friendship. One day Louis runs into the boy that his mother used to tutor and Louis finds he has more humans as possible friends than he may be able to handle. Louis prefers the companionship of the animals as it is easy. Friendship is hard. Also, dealing with his Mom living elsewhere where she recovers from an episode she had that Louis blames his older brother for is a lot for him. Will he learn that friends can help us through hard times? Will he repair the stressful relationship he has with his brother? Will he become overwhelmed with his job responsibilities? Join Louis on the summer of a lifetime as he struggles through his family issues and prepares to go to high school. This book will fill your heart, break your heart, and piece it back together along the way. If you love dogs, you know some of the issues of dog walking and will be more prepared for dog antics. If you don't love dogs, you may by the end of this sweet story.

[Pamela Kramer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Here is the first part of my review:
"In "Walkin' the Dog," Chris Lynch tells the story of Louis, a boy who loves being home, has no friends, and will be going to the public high school after being home schooled. His father is a retired firefighter who bought a fishing boat and moved them to a seaside town. His mother is an activist whose mental health has been suffering, and she is in a facility working on regaining her equilibrium.

The family is having a really hard time without her stabilizing presence. Louis and his slightly younger sister Faye have a close relationship, but she wants him to have more friends. Because he doesn't really know anyone, Louis has been dreading starting school in the fall, and with his mother not at home, his summer feels empty. But when he starts walking an acquaintance's dog, Amos, and a dog-walking business seems to fall into his lap, things change.

One of Lynch's wonderful talents is writing in first person and keeping the narrative heartfelt and filled with humor. Louis is a really funny person, and his running commentary is filled with wry observations and comments that make us smile. While he's out walking the dogs, Louis ends up meeting new people, making friends, and changing."

Read the whole review at: PamelaKramer.com

I highly recommend this novel for middle school students. It would be a great group read. The themes are wonderful and many.

[Country Mama · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the story of Louis. Louis is homeschooled and doesn’t go to school with other kids. He lives in a small Northeastern fishing town. He gets bored very easily being home by himself all the time and has no friends.
In the beginning of the story Louis must take care of Amos, his dad’s fellow fishing people to come out on the boat. Louis agrees to take care of Amos for his dad. Louis is in the summer before high school and everything is going a bit like a teenager has been going on for him, including his mom with medical issues.
Louis takes on walking all the dogs he can find, even some different dogs in town. And on top of that Louis is going to high school for public school. He also meets Agnes and spends some time together with her as he is taking care of the dogs all summer.
This is a great book for kids of the sightly older age as some tragic things happen and also showcases a few bad points with his mom and family. This reminded me of the Diary of a Wimpy Kid series which has a lot of older material and yet is rated for younger readers. I love how the author shows us what the dogs are thinking and feeling in our reading too as dogs do have thoughts and feelings!
I would recommend this book to someone who really likes dogs and wants to read about middle school years right before the high school years😊

[Kara (Books.and.salt) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Walkin’ the Dog by Chris Lynch is a contemporary middle grade novel that skilfully walks the line between hilarious and heartbreaking. We follow Louis, a good natured and shy homeschooled boy, as he cares for the neighborhood dogs over the summer before his first year of public school. In this coming of age novel, Louis learns how to step out of his shell while navigating his complicated family dynamics, including an overbearing older sister and a mother who is currently in in-patient addiction care.

Louis’s ruminations of the world around him were an absolute riot, from his take on his hometown to the colorful descriptions of Amos’... fragrance. I loved his attitude which was more often than not “this sucks but I’m going to make the best out of it.” He was a wonderful character to follow.
This one was a fair bit heavier than I expected, and I have to say I think the age rating should be higher than the 3rd to 7th grade rating it has now. With that said, the topics Lynch explores are so very important and relevant to a lot of kids out there.

I am so glad I read this one, and would absolutely recommend this one to middle and high school readers looking to get a fresh perspective, as well as readers of contemporary fiction with themes of family dynamics.

[Laura Thomas · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’m a firm believer in dogs bringing out the best in those who choose to pay heed to them. Mostly by accident, Louis winds up walking dogs the summer before he leaves homeschooling behind and enters public high school. They have a lot to teach him, and so do Cy and Aggie, just two of the people he meets while walking the dogs.

I found this book both educational and just plain fun. The characters were so true to life and the hurdles Louis had to concur were daunting yet doable. For an introvert like Louis, learning to poke his head out of his shell and socialize wasn’t easy. The author brought him to life for me and included some strong side characters that made me excited to turn each page and see how things panned out.

And a shout out to the author for giving the dogs as much characters as the humans who, by the way, have some quirky, hilarious tags that go with their personalities. Got some snickers out of me. I have someone in mind to share this book with. I think he’d enjoy the characters and life lessons as much as I did.
I received a complimentary copy. My review is voluntarily given.

[Rahel Charikar · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lynch's narrative is both heartwarming and humorous, capturing the essence of adolescence with its struggles, triumphs, and unexpected connections. Louis's journey from reluctant bystander to active participant is engaging and relatable, offering young readers a protagonist they can root for.

The dynamic between Louis and the various characters he encounters is richly developed, particularly his interactions with the dogs he walks. Each canine companion has its own distinct personality, adding depth and charm to the story.

"Walkin' the Dog" is not just a tale of friendship and self-discovery; it's also a poignant exploration of the transformative power of animals in our lives. Lynch beautifully illustrates how dogs have the ability to change us for the better, nudging us out of our comfort zones and teaching us valuable lessons about empathy, loyalty, and connection.

Overall, "Walkin' the Dog" is a delightful read that will resonate with readers of all ages, reminding us that sometimes the most profound lessons come from the unlikeliest of sources.

[Wina · Rating 4 out of 5]

Contemporary fiction for ages 9-14, this really seemed like a book about high school kids until somewhere in the middle when he talks about starting his freshman year. It's in first person. So, I had to wrap my head around these kids being the summer after 8th grade. Some of the things about Louis made sense, but it was the witty repartee that seemed too mature. I don't see 13-14 year-olds being that good at it yet. : ) His younger sister, just finished 7th grade, was the smartest in the bunch. I really enjoyed the range of characters, the family, the new girl, Agatha, and Cy & his mom. Some touching moments mixed into the funny dialogue and Louis' inner monologue. Good coming-of age book which includes mental health problems, taking responsibility, making new friends, and more.

[Trisha · Rating 2 out of 5]

I received this book as an ARC from Simon & Schuster.

As many readers have stated, this book is being marketed for 8-12 year olds. I also felt that this book should be marketed for older kids (middle school tweens) due to many of the issues presented in the story and the cursing. While I personally didn’t mind the story and enjoyed the writing style, I still found it hard to get motivated to pick up the book and read on. There were also some situations that would be better read by a mature reader (i.e. possible mental/drug rehabilitation-still not sure why the mother was being hospitalized, possible child abuse, and death of animals). Would I recommend this book? It would depend on who was asking…more often than not I would say no.

[callistoscalling · Rating 4 out of 5]

The transition into high school is never an easy one- add being homeschooled your entire life along with some rough waters in the family and it is a whole new level of intimidating. When Louis responds to a favor from his dad to walk his neighbor’s very smelly dog with a new outlook in life and a business venture, he learns a whole lot of life lessons that help him prepare for his year ahead. Light and humorous while still dealing with big life challenges, Walkin’ the Dog is a delightful read! And an important reminder that sometimes life’s greatest lessons and source of comfort can be found in four legged companions.

[Katherine Bichler · Rating 4 out of 5]

Genre: Middle Grade Contemporary

Synopsis:
After being homeschooled all his life, Louis enters his first public school where he becomes a dog walker and learns life lessons from the people he meets.

This was a quick, poignant coming of age middle grade read. If you are a dog lover, this one is for you. The MC becomes a dog walker and forms a special bond with some of the dogs. He finds himself learning life lessons from his experience as a dog walker. It also appropriately(for MG) touches on addiction as Louis’ mom is in rehab for opioids. (Would probably go over the heads of most middle graders in a purposeful way).
This is my first book by this author and I would read more!

Thank you to Simon Kids for the gifted copy! 🦮

[Michael · Rating 5 out of 5]

Chris Lynch has a preternatural knack for depicting the complexities and nuances of family dynamics — and of the relationship between human and canine. This book is a delight to read; Lynch's characters leap off the page, and Lynch himself infuses the book with the right mixture of heart and heartbreak.

[Jaimes_Mystical_Library · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a great middle grade realistic fiction book. Walkin’ The Dog is a good book for older middle schoolers, but there’s also elements in this book that people of all ages should be able to relate to. This book had some great characters and lovable dogs. Overall this was an enjoyable and heartfelt realistic fiction read.

Thank you Simon Kids for sending me this copy.

[LS Johnson · Rating 3 out of 5]

definitely character driven book. emotional topics written about with subtlety, almost to an extreme. sometimes i was wondering...did that just get mentioned? i was hoping more of those topics were discussed or developed further. and yes there plenty of dog walkin' but that's not the purpose of the book.

[Danielle Hammelef · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is definitely a middle grade book for the older readers with the issues dealt with, including addiction, animal death, one f word uttered by the POV character to his mom, and an older brother that tends toward violence. I enjoyed the humor, but the pacing was very slow and the plot often felt disjointed.

[Vicky · Rating 4 out of 5]

While starting a walking dogs business, Louis makes new friends, copes with his mean older brother, and visiting his mom in the hospital , Louis finds these new challenges just might help him be ready for high school after being home schooled for years. He realizes “all dogs are guide dogs in the end.”

[Kim Wilch · Rating 5 out of 5]

Delightful! Humorous! Heartwarming! This highly relatable story teaches life lessons through the guise of dogs. The cast of characters is diverse, each offering a piece to the puzzle of adolescent struggles including friendship, loyalty, self-discovery, and connection. Highly recommended.

[Jen · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a heartwarming story with humor, wisdom, and heartfelt moments, It showcases friendships and relationships between humans or dogs and how it can change us for the better. I adore this book and it left me feeling happy and appreciative more of my bond with my furbaby, a solid 4 ⭐