Girl With a White Dog

by Anne Booth

Jessie is excited when her gran gets a white Alsatian puppy, but with Snowy's arrival a mystery starts to unfold. As Jessie learns about Nazi Germany at school, past and present begin to slot together and she uncovers something long-buried, troubling and somehow linked to another girl and another white dog…

Genres: Middle Grade, Fiction, Childrens, Historical Fiction, Young Adult, War, World War II

208 pages, Paperback

First published March 1, 2014

About the author

Anne Booth always wanted to be a children’s writer, but has also cleared tables in a restaurant, sold books, been a tour guide at a haunted medieval hospital, taught English in Italy, and organized arts and crafts in a nursing home, among other things. Anne Booth lives in Kent, England, with her husband, four children, two hens, and two dogs.

Reviews

[Kirsty · Rating 5 out of 5]

I adored Girl with a White Dog and thought it was absolutely beautiful. I cannot wait for it to be released so I can buy several copies and give to everyone I know.

Girl with a white dog does several things well for me. Firstly it discusses Nazism and the holocaust in a sensitive and thought provoking way. All too often I get angry with books which deal with issues such as Nazism as a gimmick to sell their book and make it more interesting rather than because they have a story to tell or something to say about the issues around it. This book is perfect in the way it handles it and that makes the history teacher in me very very pleased.

Next I loved the characterisation in this book. All the voices are so authentic and I loved how these kids sounded like the ones I teach. There's actually one quote about a history teacher that one of my students could have happily said themselves because it is spot on. Also I loved how the characters were diverse without being in the book for show. You have characters who are disabled and they are just there as they should be. Nothing makes me rage more than the token disabled / gay / non white characters thrown in and pointed out regularly for being a special little minority snowflake to show how 'with-it' an author is. This book treats people from a more diverse background just as they are and should be like everyone else in the book.

I loved that this book made contrasts between the past and current events making them relevant and current to young minds and encouraging children to think for themselves and see parallels between the two. It's so important for children growing up in a world fun of propagandised newspapers and scaremongering headlines from extreme political parties they they learn that they don't just have to accept what is in front of them and can fight to make the world a better place.

All in all I adored this book and cannot wait for more people to read and adore it too.

[Stephanie Fitzgerald · Rating 5 out of 5]

The author of this book managed, in 167 pages, to create one of the most incredible books I’ve ever read. School bullying and changing relationships among friends are two modern themes woven in with middle-schoolers learning about WW2. When a classmate’s grandmother visits Jessie’s history class and tells her memories about Germany, the students are dumbfounded to learn what “looking the other way”, and hatred of differences, can cause. This book should be in every middle-grade classroom, if only for the wonderful Author Notes at the end!

Memorable Quotes:
(Pg. 124)-“So I would like to end by begging you to look out for any signs of early prejudice, any racism, any homophobia, any discrimination against people for their religion-or lack of it, any valuing of people purely for their economic worth, any cruel jokes against the elderly, or disabled.
Stop them early, the moment they show their heads, so that those ideas do not take root and take over your country the way they rotted my beautiful Germany. If the attitudes of Nazism hadn’t been tolerated in its early stages in the 1930’s, those millions of people would never have been murdered.”-Mrs. Levy

[Jim · Rating 5 out of 5]

First, i got this book because i thought the dog on the cover was a Samoyed, it isn't, nor is it a westie but instead a white german shepard.

Not to much to say this should be required reading or be read aloud for junior high.

This book shows that small, hateful things/laws/comments can lead to large movements. it also shows how to care for an elderly relative, and points out the world to be gained from interviewing them. There are a lot of lessons this book teaches, but none are taught at the expense of keeping the story tight and forward moving.

[Darran Stobbart · Rating 4 out of 5]

A heart warming tale of family, an examination of racism and inclusivity, and a stark warning not to repeat the mistakes of the past – All these powerful themes in just over two-hundred pages makes Girl With A White Dog a brilliant one-sitting read that lingers in your brain for weeks to come.

Jess has seen her family steadily struggle with the changing world of Britain – Her Dad is forced to seek employment in France when his job is outsourced overseas, and her cousin Fran has to be pulled out of private school when her father’s business starts to struggle. Everything has gotten worse since the foreign workers started coming to their town and taking away the jobs. The one thing Jess has always wanted is a puppy of her own – She feels like a puppy would help her be happy, and change her family. So when her elderly grandmother adopts a beautiful, energetic white Alsatian puppy, Jess is naturally over the moon! It’s everything she wanted, so surely her fairytale ending must be close by – her father will return to them, and her cousin Fran will stop being so mean and aloof at school, and the two will be best friends again. But Jess is about to learn a hard lesson about the differences between real life and fairytales, and when her gran starts to become confused between the past and the present, life starts to look bleak. There’s a mystery in gran’s past, one she’s never talked about, and Jess is determined to learn the truth and help her gran become the peaceful, loving woman she once knew. As her and her friend Kate start to learn about Nazi Germany and the atrocities committed there in their lessons, Jess starts to take a more grown up view of the world around her, and piece together the dark past that haunts her family.

Girl With A White Dog is easily a single sitting sort of read – short, but uniquely gripping and emotionally articulate. Through the innocence of the young characters, we get to see the power of ignorance in the older characters, as well as their shift in perspective as they learn and grow. Jess, especially, has a beautiful character arc, as she goes from fear and hatred towards the strange foreign workers that she sees around her town, to compassion and understanding towards the differences she sees in the others around her. The development in her cousin Fran is similarly brilliantly written, with her starting out as a stuck-up, entitled and entirely selfish young girl who really tugs on the reader’s emotions and anger. Finally Kate – Jess’ wheelchair bound best friend – is the glue that holds the story together, as she’s passionate and determined to do the best thing for her friends, as well as allowing her emotions to cloud her judgement at times, which is important for a well rounded and believable character.

The book deals with some complex themes of modern day racism, as well as the historical atrocities of the Holocaust, but through the eyes of its young characters. It shows an important, and delicately handled example of not letting the mistakes of the past happen again, and in doing so, the story promotes the importance of diversity in our modern world. It shows how vital it is that the next generation in our country learn to accept the differences that they’ll come across in their lives, and that those differences aren’t something to be feared, but something to be embraced. As well as this beautiful inclusive embrace, though, Girl With A White Dog possesses a dark, historical mystery which shook me pretty heavily, and the passages dealing with Concentration Camps are harrowing to say the least, but so very important and evocative. It also deals with Jess’ Gran’s deteriorating mental state in a touching, powerful and melancholy sort of way, and the whole story uses fairy tale analogies to a brilliant effect, driving the underlying sadness of the story home subtly, but also allowing for an uplifting feel. The sadness comes from the mistakes of the past, but the book is hopeful and optimistic in tone – So long as we learn from the lessons it teaches us.

A vitally important read, and one that will stay with you, Girl With A White Dog is a triumph of diversity and should be in schools everywhere.

[Daisy May Johnson · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's always difficult reading and reviewing books by people that you 'know' and I do know Anne. I've talked with her a lot on Twitter about children's literature, and I have a lot of time for her thoughtful articulacy. So you can imagine that reading Girl With a White Dog was an interesting experience for me; would I like it? What would I think of it? And finally, how can I review it if I didn't like it?

So the first thing to do is to tell you that I did like it, I liked it rather a lot. And if I hadn't liked it, then I wouldn't be talking about it or reviewing it. I wouldn't be thinking about the surge in quality British middle grade fiction at the moment, and how Girl With a White Dog is definitely part of it, and I wouldn't be thinking about the quiet sensitivity of this book and the issues it covers.

The second thing would be to tell you a little bit more about what those issues actually are. Jessie's granny has suddenly got a new puppy, a bright white Alsatian called Snowy. Snowy's arrival seems to trigger something in Gran, and we start to discover what that is and why throughout the book and it's a story which goes all the way back to World War Two. Coupled with that storyline, we have a more modern day storyline involving immigrant workers and bullying - there's a lot going on in this deceptive little book.

One thing I do want to acknowledge is the 'classic' feel of it. There's something quite lovely about Booth's writing for me as it reminds me a lot of the 'golden age' authors, people such as E Nesbit and Noel Streatfeild. Booth has that very great ability to present her story with a simple, deft touch that does not judge nor does it forget the humour to be found even in the most horrible of moments. There's a bit where Jessie is talking about a boy and (I paraphrase somewhat here) after listing his attributes of wonder, she then adds 'And he's really good at trumpet' which is glorious and funny and true.

Girl With a White Dog covers some important issues and does so in a very graceful and subtle manner. This is a very big little book, and it's one I'd definitely recommend.

[Katie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Bit of a tough read, thought this would be a cute book about a girl and her dog.

But it was gritty and tough. Themes of nazi Germany and racism which were hard to read.

I wouldn't recommend this to kids it's too hard to digest. However it's important to understand and know about these hard events.

[Helen · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a really powerful book.
This book covers many issues, bullying, death, friendship, all done in a sensitive way.

[alice · Rating 4 out of 5]

w tamtym momencie bardzo mi się podobała i ogl mam dobre wspomnienia z tym

[Emma Carroll · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a remarkable book. Simply told, it asks us to re-examine our prejudices, since these exist not just on a global level or in other countries and eras, but in the everyday judgements we make. The message reminds me of To Kill A Mockingbird- no mean comparison! And yet this isn't just an 'issues' book. The characters are all flawed yet likeable. The dynamics between family and friends are well drawn. There are twists and hooks to keep us engaged. And the ending is perhaps one of the most beautiful I've read in a long time. 'Girl With a White Dog' is a book every child- and adult- should read.

[Natalia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bardzo wzruszająca opowieść. Myślę, że każdy powinien to przeczytać i że powinna to być lektura w klasach 4-6, bo takich opowieści brakuje tym dzieciom

[bongbooksandcoffee · Rating 5 out of 5]

'Girl with a White dog' is a story of insecurities and prejudices and the associated risks of letting them fester and be organized into a vicious narrative.
The story revolves around the young protagonist Jessie Jones' mundane yet unrealized desires. The immigrant workers usurping domestic jobs in her village is a key contributing factor to such desires remaining unfulfilled and results in the build up of deep seated resentment and frustration towards the outsiders. When her grandmother adopts 'Snowy', a white German Shepherd dog, Jessie is ecstatic. But her joy is soon clipped as her grandmother falls sick and keeps imploring her to keep Snowy safe from 'Them' - unknown men who are coming to take Snowy away. The other key cog in the wheel that keeps the story moving forward is the faded picture of a girl with a white dog in her grandmother's room whose identity remains a mystery until the very end. The mystery unravels as the story keeps moving between present day England and Nazi Germany, emphasizing the perils of repeating historical mistakes, the importance of forgiving and how even good people can do bad things due to prolonged social conditioning.
A masterpiece in itself, the book is a relatively short read. Yet, it leaves the reader with poignant questions and generic observations that has far reaching consequences in various contexts in the mordern world.

[Jenny Sanders · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jessie's granny is starting to forget things. It's disturbing when she seems to talk in riddles or say things which feel like nonsense. Her new white Alsatian puppy, Snowy, brings life but also uncomfortable memories.

As Jessie's class explore a project on Nazi Germany, she begins to see how outsiders are portrayed and perceived. Just as the newspapers complain about 'foreigners taking our jobs' and stir up animosity between people groups, Jessie realises that the same thing has happened in Europe before. She and her friends, including wheelchair-bound Kate and her own cousin, recognise that being 'in' or 'out' has consequences which can escalate out of control.

The secrets Jessie's granny has been hiding for so many years, shed light on a contemporary problem.

A great book for teenagers which will stretch their perceptions and allow plenty of room for discussion of social and ethical challenges old and new.

[Natasha Woodcraft · Rating 5 out of 5]

The description by one reviewer, "An impassioned plea for tolerance," is extremely apt. This is a fabulous book, which I enjoyed reading as an adult, even though it is aimed at a slightly younger audience. The feelings of the protagonist at the start accurately and sensitivity reflect the growing disquiet in our nation around the issue of immigration. The author then skillfully and compassionately compels the protagonist to change her opinion through the means of friends, a Grandmother with memory loss, a brick and a white German Shepherd dog. Intrigued? You should be. In my opinion, this book should be on the National Curriculum reading list. I believe it has the ability to change lives as powerfully as The Lord of the Flies. I will certainly be passing it to all the teenagers I know.

[Philip S Davies · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a most timely book, which deserves thoughtful reading by all young people ... and adults. As schoolgirl Jessie learns about the horrors of Nazi Germany, she sees the seeds of bullying and intolerance spreading around her in the present. With a group of friends (each with different situations and outlooks on life) she finds the courage to tackle unjust attitudes in the present, whilst also discovering how the ghosts of the past can strike close to home. A touching, moving and powerful story, which I highly recommend.

[Lizzie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a really nicely told story, with a believable 13-14 year old voice (first person narrative). I love the link between the characters’ present day, what they’re learning about the real history (of the Nazis, including stuff I didn’t know), and fairy tales, and how the characters’ families are tied up in it all. The mystery (of Gran’s childhood) plays out well, some parts expected but with an unexpected twist too. The subject matter - the warning in the book - feels chillingly current actually.

[Nia Talbot · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was really engaged throughout this book. The parallels between the past and people’s treatment of others in the current climate are very well written and would be an essential talking point with children reading this today.

[esmé · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful and moving. Definitely recommend.

[Lowri Williams · Rating 4 out of 5]

The plot twist omg...

[Abi Elphinstone · Rating 5 out of 5]

There were two reasons Moontrug bought Anne Booth’s debut for 8+ years, Girl With A White Dog: everyone was raving about it on Twitter and she thinks white animals are super cute (white dogs, white owls, white wolves, white rabbits and her FAVOURITEST WHITE ANIMALS EVER: unicorns).

Jessie is excited when her gran gets a white Alsatian puppy, but with Snowy’s arrival a mystery starts to unfold. As Jessie learns about Nazi Germany at school, past and present begin to slot together and she uncovers something long-buried, troubling and somehow linked to another girl and another white dog… Booth creates a gorgeously compelling narrative voice in Jessie Jones. Jessie opens the book revealing that her Year 9 homework is to write a modern fairytale. She says: ‘You see, at the beginning of this story, I really did have three wishes. It was easy to imagine that having them all come true at once would be my happy ending. I just didn’t realise how sad the beginning would have to be.’

As if being in Year 9 isn’t complicated enough, Jessie has to deal with her father working overseas the whole time, her cousin’s increasingly unfriendly behaviour and her beloved gran falling ill. Booth perfectly captures the struggling emotions Jessie has to contend with and when Jessie’s English teacher asks why fairy tales often need happy endings, Jessie replies: ‘Because if it doesn’t end happily and if everything isn’t all right, then what’s the point? It’s all horrible and there’s nothing you can do about it,’ and Booth finishes the chapter with two brilliant sentences that reveal just how upset up Jessie is inside.

While reading the book, Moontrug felt like she was absolutely back in Year 9 again. Jessie may have a lot on her plate but she’s gorgeously funny, even if she’s not intending to be: ‘I do not think this story is suitable for bedtime or cartoons’. And on the subject of Ben Green, Jessie says: ‘He’s really good at funny voices. And he’s really good at trumpet.’ Because let’s face it, those kind of qualities are exactly the sort of incidental things you notice about boys in Year 9. And as for Ben’s Mum, Moontrug loved Jessie’s description: ‘If I was going to make Ben’s mum into a fairy tale character I would definitely make her into the Pied Piper, but with dogs.’ Jessie’s crush on her English teacher is also fantastically done: ‘Basically, I went bright red, and then tried to flick back my hair like Nicola Barker – I’m not sure why – I think I had some vague idea it would make me look more sophisticated or something.’

Booth plays out the friendship between cousins Jessie and Fran brilliantly (the end of Chapter 13 is superbly done) – and she so realistically captures the way tensions between two characters can have knock-on effects even (perhaps especially) towards those we love the most. Cue Jessie’s wonderful friend, Kate. Restricted to a wheelchair, Kate still manages to play Sitting Volleyball (extremely well) and she’s a reminder that although, as Yasmin points out, ‘life isn’t happy and safe… bad things do happen to people, and you can’t do anything about it sometimes,’ with courage and determination you have a chance at getting through. Perhaps one the central messages of the book though is of forgiveness – on small scales and on mightily massive ones. As Ben’s gran says: ‘It is only by forgiveness that we can move forwards.’ Girl With A White Dog is a message to us all that everyone has a story. And set against the atrocities of the past, like the Nazis’ treatment of the Jews, and the problems of the present, you have Kate’s determination, Jessie’s capacity for forgiveness and even Fran’s ability to say she’s sorry. Growing up is hard but Booth gives us characters full of hope.

[Sally · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a good Middle School read that covers a wide range of social issues in a really good "soft" way - by that I mean that it's not graphic in the depiction of the sad and harrowing topics, mainly the holocaust.
I love the way that the Author drops in off the cuff observations of people in the community now making derrogatory comments about migrant workers and foreigners, so that it helps to show that extremist politics like Nazism don't just happen all at once, these things build up in a political climate of intolerance. Once Jess, the protagonaist, begins to learn the details of the Nazi Aryan ideals and how they went about wiping out those who did not conform she quickly compares thier template to her life and thinks of all the people she cares about who would be lost from her life - her Nan, her disabled best friend etc.

When a fellow student's Nan comes to talk to their history class about her Concentration camp survival story, Jess's eyes are opened even more into how a society can get swept up in hatred of others and is encouraged to speak up when she sees anti-social and targeting behaviour happening in her own town.

All this is set against the backdrop of Jess worrying about her lovely Nan who is showing obvious signs of dementia and is hospitalised just after taking on a gorgeous new White German Shepherd puppy. Jess has always longed for a dog so that feels like a dream come true, but her Nan keeps saying starnge things about keeping the puppy, Jess and her Wheel-chair using friend safe... Jess is struggling to understand but when she delves into some old family photos of her Nan's she uncovers a secret history her Nan has never talked about.

Such a brilliantly told story with a strong purpose. it delivers WAY better than The Boy in the Striped Pajamas as it doesn't belittle the true events and actually shows how good people can get swept up in bad things.

[Katy Kelly · Rating 5 out of 5]

I discovered this only because it was shortlisted for the Carnegie award. A shame, as this has great appeal for both the age range and for class topics on WWII and PSHE.

The story begins simply, as many books for young people do, with everyday problems that cover up a wealth of deeper issues. Jessie has wanted a dog forever, but her parents have always put her off. Her Grandma gets a beautiful white Alsatian puppy but soon after becomes unwell. Jessie looks after the puppy as her grandmother is taken to hospital, speaking undecipherable and confusing words.

While she worries about her Grandma, other issues come to the fore - immigrants working in the neighbourhood, her disabled best friend, a young man with Downs Syndrome - all play a role in a story that moves to a focus on the Second World War and manages to connect all the plot threads beautifully and with quite some emotion.

I was moved by this - issues of tolerance, hate and humanity in a book for 9-13 year olds? Very well done. The main characters of Jessie and her tough friend Katie are winners. The connections to the past are nicely done (with a couple of twists not hard to see coming but lovely nonetheless).

I even learnt a few things about WWII, and think this would fit in very well with KS2/3 topics on the War, as well as Citizenship/PSHE lessons.

Powerful stuff for young readers. My only qualm was that I felt the ending could have included a bit of an epilogue about what happens to the characters after the story is rounded off. I really wanted to know more about the cousins, how Grandma was, what happened at school.

I would recommend this one to teachers at KS2/3 and readers of the same age range.

[Aida Vicente Rubio · Rating 4 out of 5]

Girl with a white dog o ‘La chica del perro blanco’ es un libro infantil, está escrito para niños de entre 9-10 años, aunque en él se habla de temas como el Nazismo y la Segunda Guerra Mundial. Tengo que decir que este es uno de los temas que más llama mi atención en la literatura, tengo mucha curiosidad y me encantan las historias ambientadas en esta época.

Un día, la abuela de Jessie llega a casa con un cachorro de pastor alemán, al que Jessie, una niña de 9 años, decide llamar Snowy debido al color de su pelaje. Lo que no sabe Jessie es que, a partir de ahí, y mientras en el colegio estudia el Nazismo y la Segunda Guerra Mundial, irá descubriendo cosas del pasado que están extrañamente relacionadas con el presente y que tienen que ver con otra chica y con otro perro blanco.

En general, me ha gustado mucho cómo la autora aborda tan bien el tema del Nazismo y el holocauso. Habla de él de una manera sensible y entrañable, sin morbo ni detalles escabrosos. Recordemos que es un libro escrito para un público infantil.

Si quieres saber mi opinión acerca de este libro, puedes leerla aquí: https://elprimercapitulo.wordpress.co...

[Charlotte Jones · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book sounded promising and going into it I expected quite a moving Young Adult novel and sadly I was disappointed.

Although the novel handles some big issues, such as Nazi Germany, illness and immigration, I felt like some of them were handled in a way that made this an uncomfortable read for me. The way that the foreign workers were portrayed in this novel made it really uncomfortable to read about and I feel like it could have been handled in a way that showed the characters’ prejudices by the end but I don’t feel like this book did that successfully. I am aware that this is for younger YA readers and I’m not sure that the messages given in the novel were clear enough or well-portrayed. I also feel that although diversity-wise there was a disabled main character and also a disabled side-character, they were there just to affect the outcome and themes of the story rather than them just being treated as normal characters.

Overall, the writing style was concise and quick to get through (I read this in one sitting) but unfortunately I can’t say I would recommend Girl with a White Dog due to the way certain themes were handled.

[Rach (pagesofpiper) · Rating 3 out of 5]

So many issues in this book, racism, xenophobia, disability, holocaust, dementia, divorce, unemployment, death, bullying... All dealt with well. I thought from the blurb the book might go more into the dementia a bit more but it was more focused on the story of the Gran as a child and standing up to bullies.

I did like the point the book made about Nazism happening in any country even Britain, which reminded me of the movie Die Welle (The Wave), it really could!

There were many good points actually, especially the whole standing up to bullies, the main character did that really well.

It was slightly predictable though but made it into a book any child would need to battle any issues they might be experiencing from the list above!

[Tanya Marlow · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a really good book for explaining the holocaust to 8-10 year old children. It’s quite clever, because it still has the shock of what the Nazis did, but without being excruciatingly horrific. I found the ‘twist’ a little obvious, but guessing it would be a surprise and shock for children.

What I particularly liked about it as an adult was the parallels she drew between 1930s Germany in recession, and today’s culture, with increasing hostility towards immigrants and disabled people – it made it current and thought-provoking, which means it’s well worth reading as an adult. It’s well-written, and I read it in one sitting.

[gem · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the most moving books I have read this year. As well as focusing on issues of friends and family, it tackles aspects of WWII that usually get overlooked in fiction. I enjoyed everything about this book - the characters, the plot and the writing was wonderful. I can't wait to read more from this author, and I know this will become one of my favourite books to recommend to people of all ages.

[Jess · Rating 5 out of 5]

I picked up the book and couldn't put it down until I had finished reading. I've always enjoyed children's literature, but what struck me about this book was how relatable and well-constructed the protagonist was. I liked the message in the novel, the way that themes such as fear, prejudice and kindness were portrayed, and I loved Snowy, the white dog from the title. A quick, yet thought-provoking read illustrating the nature of finding meaning during childhood

[Kristin · Rating 3 out of 5]

I picked up this book on a whim while in England, and finally got around to reading it. A neat story about a girl facing her grandmother's decline into dementia, among other things. Some very powerful scenes. Some of it seemed a bit politicized, but that's my only complaint. Otherwise, a clever and satisfying story!

[Elizabeth Beverley · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a remarkable & beautiful story woven together. It deals with so many issues in such an understanding way. Grans dementia is described & handled well. The comparison of current & past events is very clever.
Looking forward to recommending this book.

[Margaret Pemberton · Rating 5 out of 5]

A really heartrending story of how the past is always with us. It is how people today are linked with the events of the second world war and the impact that has on everyone. A very strong story, read with thanks to netgalley.