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Dogtown #1
Dogtown
From beloved authors Katherine Applegate and Gennifer Choldenko and with illustrations from Wallace West, Dogtown is at once an uplifting story and a page-turning adventure, sure to find a forever home in readers’ hearts.Dogtown is a shelter for stray dogs, misbehaving dogs, and discarded robot dogs, whose owners have outgrown them.Chance, a real dog, has been in Dogtown since her owners unwittingly left her with irresponsible dog-sitters who skipped town.Metal Head is a robot dog who dreams of being back in a real home.And Mouse is a mouse who has the run of Dogtown, pilfering kibble, and performing clever feats to protect the dogs he loves.When Chance and Metal Head embark on an adventure to find their forever homes, there is danger, cheese sandwiches, a charging station, and some unexpected kindnesses along the way.
352 pages, Paperback
First published September 19, 2023
116 people are currently reading
4812 people want to read
About the author
Katherine Applegate
280 books6,258 followers#1 New York Times bestselling author Katherine Applegate has written many books for young readers, including THE ONE AND ONLY IVAN, winner of the 2013 Newbery Medal.
Katherine’s picture books include THE BUFFALO STORM, illustrated by Jan Ormerod (Clarion Books); THE REMARKABLE TRUE STORY OF IVAN, THE SHOPPING MALL GORILLA, illustrated by G. Brian Karas (Clarion Books); SOMETIMES YOU FLY, illustrated by Jennifer Black Reinhardt (Clarion Books); and ODDER: AN OTTER’S STORY, illustrated by Charles Santoso (Feiwel & Friends).
She’s written or co-written three early chapter series for young readers: ROSCOE RILEY RULES, a seven-book series illustrated by Brian Biggs (HarperCollins); DOGGO AND PUPPER, a three-book series illustrated by Charlie Alder (Feiwel & Friends). With Gennifer Choldenko, she co-authored DOGTOWN and MOUSE AND HIS DOG, illustrated by Wallace West (Feiwel & Friends).
Books for middle-grade readers include HOME OF THE BRAVE (Feiwel & Friends); THE ONE AND ONLY series, illustrated by Patricia Castelao, including THE ONE AND ONLY IVAN, THE ONE AND ONLY BOB, THE ONE AND ONLY RUBY, and THE ONE AND ONLY FAMILY (HarperCollins); the ENDLING trilogy (HarperCollins); CRENSHAW (Feiwel & Friends); WISHTREE (Feiwel & Friends); WILLODEEN (Feiwel & Friends); ODDER (Feiwel & Friends); and the forthcoming POCKET BEAR (Feiwel & Friends).
With her husband, Michael Grant, Katherine co-wrote ANIMORPHS, a long-running series that has sold over 35 million books worldwide. They also wrote two other series, REMNANTS and EVERWORLD, and a young adult novel, EVE AND ADAM (Feiwel & Friends.)
Katherine’s work has been translated into dozens of languages, and her books have won accolades including the Christopher Medal, the Golden Kite Award, the Bank Street Josette Frank Award, the California Book Award Gold Medal, the Crystal Kite Award, the Green Earth Book Honor Award, the Charlotte Zolotow Honor Award, and the E.B. White Read Aloud Award. Many of her works have appeared on state master lists, Best of the Year lists, and Publishers Weekly, USA Today, and New York Times bestseller lists.
Katherine lives in Nevada with her husband and assorted pets. She is represented by Elena Giovinazzo at Heirloom Literary and Mary Pender at WME.
Katherine’s picture books include THE BUFFALO STORM, illustrated by Jan Ormerod (Clarion Books); THE REMARKABLE TRUE STORY OF IVAN, THE SHOPPING MALL GORILLA, illustrated by G. Brian Karas (Clarion Books); SOMETIMES YOU FLY, illustrated by Jennifer Black Reinhardt (Clarion Books); and ODDER: AN OTTER’S STORY, illustrated by Charles Santoso (Feiwel & Friends).
She’s written or co-written three early chapter series for young readers: ROSCOE RILEY RULES, a seven-book series illustrated by Brian Biggs (HarperCollins); DOGGO AND PUPPER, a three-book series illustrated by Charlie Alder (Feiwel & Friends). With Gennifer Choldenko, she co-authored DOGTOWN and MOUSE AND HIS DOG, illustrated by Wallace West (Feiwel & Friends).
Books for middle-grade readers include HOME OF THE BRAVE (Feiwel & Friends); THE ONE AND ONLY series, illustrated by Patricia Castelao, including THE ONE AND ONLY IVAN, THE ONE AND ONLY BOB, THE ONE AND ONLY RUBY, and THE ONE AND ONLY FAMILY (HarperCollins); the ENDLING trilogy (HarperCollins); CRENSHAW (Feiwel & Friends); WISHTREE (Feiwel & Friends); WILLODEEN (Feiwel & Friends); ODDER (Feiwel & Friends); and the forthcoming POCKET BEAR (Feiwel & Friends).
With her husband, Michael Grant, Katherine co-wrote ANIMORPHS, a long-running series that has sold over 35 million books worldwide. They also wrote two other series, REMNANTS and EVERWORLD, and a young adult novel, EVE AND ADAM (Feiwel & Friends.)
Katherine’s work has been translated into dozens of languages, and her books have won accolades including the Christopher Medal, the Golden Kite Award, the Bank Street Josette Frank Award, the California Book Award Gold Medal, the Crystal Kite Award, the Green Earth Book Honor Award, the Charlotte Zolotow Honor Award, and the E.B. White Read Aloud Award. Many of her works have appeared on state master lists, Best of the Year lists, and Publishers Weekly, USA Today, and New York Times bestseller lists.
Katherine lives in Nevada with her husband and assorted pets. She is represented by Elena Giovinazzo at Heirloom Literary and Mary Pender at WME.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 568 reviews
December 25, 2024
I was already a fan of the main author, Katherine Applegate with her books, “Odder” and “The One and Only Ivan,” so when I saw this book, titled, “Dogtown” I immediately, thought of my Goodreads friend, Stephen Wallace, and thought, I know he must have wanted me to read this one! Since he loves reading dog-love books. Well, I was shocked he hadn’t read it yet, so, Steve, this one is for you!
This is my first opportunity to read a book, with her co-author, Gennifer Choldenko. They both boast of living in California with loyal husbands and naughty dogs. And since I do, as well, I felt I have something in common with both of them.
Although this is a cute YA novel with lovely black and white illustrations by Wallace West throughout, I was entranced at my age! And let’s just say I am a senior adult!
But I need to be honest about one thing. There is a reason I never volunteered in an animal shelter. It saddens me to know there are so many homeless animals. I would want to adopt them all, and that would not be possible!
So needless to say, entering this story, I began it with a box of Kleenex.
Our narrator is Chance, a 3-legged dog who lives at Dogtown, a shelter for homeless dogs including robot dogs.
And how he became 3-legged will become clear at some point, just as Chance was once loved by Jessie and Professor Besser first will become clear.
But for now, Dogtown is our setting. (Hence: the title of the book.)
And as Chance shares his story and the story of the other dogs in Dogtown, my heart aches.
In particular there is this one moment that Chance writes in kibble…
“I nid to b petd.”
Or…And trying to explain missing home to his Metal Head robot dog friend, Chance says…
“How do you explain kindness to a machine with a hunk of metal where his heart should’ve been?”
The life of a dog is interestingly portrayed in the shelter. The friendships, the shenanigans, the reading days with the human children.
But there is also the heartache, too. Because there are those difficult decisions that have to be made for the elder dogs that don’t get adopted. And those dogs usually fall on the dreaded List. And we hate when that happens.
And it is interesting how the other dogs do what they can to find ways to get the humans to fall in love with the dogs that are fated for The List, by getting humans to want to adopt them. Pass the Kleenex please.
And then there is the story of Metal Head, the Robot dog who wants to go home to the boy who originally owned him. And when he does? Pass the Kleenex please.
And then there is the story of Jessie and Professor Besser who unwisely leave Chance with a negligent live-in dog sitter. Pass the Kleenex please, again.
Still, even if I blubbered through the majority of the story, which I finished in one sitting, it was truly a heart-felt story with a strong message of courage, perseverance, friendship, and empathy.
Please know, even though I cried, not all my tears were sad tears. I am just not going to tell you what kind of tears I cried, when I cried them. That would spoil the story.
The author also provided practical information in the appendix about what kids can do to help shelter dogs to stay happy and heathy while they are waiting for their forever homes.
Odder Review Here: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
The One and Only Ivan Review Here: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
This is my first opportunity to read a book, with her co-author, Gennifer Choldenko. They both boast of living in California with loyal husbands and naughty dogs. And since I do, as well, I felt I have something in common with both of them.
Although this is a cute YA novel with lovely black and white illustrations by Wallace West throughout, I was entranced at my age! And let’s just say I am a senior adult!
But I need to be honest about one thing. There is a reason I never volunteered in an animal shelter. It saddens me to know there are so many homeless animals. I would want to adopt them all, and that would not be possible!
So needless to say, entering this story, I began it with a box of Kleenex.
Our narrator is Chance, a 3-legged dog who lives at Dogtown, a shelter for homeless dogs including robot dogs.
And how he became 3-legged will become clear at some point, just as Chance was once loved by Jessie and Professor Besser first will become clear.
But for now, Dogtown is our setting. (Hence: the title of the book.)
And as Chance shares his story and the story of the other dogs in Dogtown, my heart aches.
In particular there is this one moment that Chance writes in kibble…
“I nid to b petd.”
Or…And trying to explain missing home to his Metal Head robot dog friend, Chance says…
“How do you explain kindness to a machine with a hunk of metal where his heart should’ve been?”
The life of a dog is interestingly portrayed in the shelter. The friendships, the shenanigans, the reading days with the human children.
But there is also the heartache, too. Because there are those difficult decisions that have to be made for the elder dogs that don’t get adopted. And those dogs usually fall on the dreaded List. And we hate when that happens.
And it is interesting how the other dogs do what they can to find ways to get the humans to fall in love with the dogs that are fated for The List, by getting humans to want to adopt them. Pass the Kleenex please.
And then there is the story of Metal Head, the Robot dog who wants to go home to the boy who originally owned him. And when he does? Pass the Kleenex please.
And then there is the story of Jessie and Professor Besser who unwisely leave Chance with a negligent live-in dog sitter. Pass the Kleenex please, again.
Still, even if I blubbered through the majority of the story, which I finished in one sitting, it was truly a heart-felt story with a strong message of courage, perseverance, friendship, and empathy.
Please know, even though I cried, not all my tears were sad tears. I am just not going to tell you what kind of tears I cried, when I cried them. That would spoil the story.
The author also provided practical information in the appendix about what kids can do to help shelter dogs to stay happy and heathy while they are waiting for their forever homes.
Odder Review Here: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
The One and Only Ivan Review Here: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
January 26, 2024
The eponymous Dogtown is an animal shelter. Poor Chance, a sheltie-Australian shepherd mix, has ended up there due to an extremely negligent house-sitter. She’s been lucky, so she has escaped euthanasia so far. In this world, robot dogs have become all the rage (wouldn’t they in ours, too?), but Chance and her flesh-and-blood pals (which includes a mouse named — what else? — Mouse) aren’t having anything to do with them, even if they end up at Dogtown, as some do.
That is until Metal Head arrives. To say more is to ruin the story. I will leave you with the book’s message, penned by a robot dog: Your heart is a muscle. It grows stronger the more you use it.
Authors Gennifer Choldenko and Katherine Applegate (the latter being the genius who wrote The One and Only Ivan and its sequels), needless to say, have done an amazing job on this middle-grade novel, which is perfect for every age. And they’ve added seven tips for those of us who want to help unwanted animals in our own neighborhoods. Plus kudos to illustrator Wallace West, who totally captures the Dogtown zeitgeist.
In the interest of full disclosure, I received this book from NetGalley, Feiwel and Friends, and Macmillan Children’s Publishing Group in exchange for an honest review.
That is until Metal Head arrives. To say more is to ruin the story. I will leave you with the book’s message, penned by a robot dog: Your heart is a muscle. It grows stronger the more you use it.
Authors Gennifer Choldenko and Katherine Applegate (the latter being the genius who wrote The One and Only Ivan and its sequels), needless to say, have done an amazing job on this middle-grade novel, which is perfect for every age. And they’ve added seven tips for those of us who want to help unwanted animals in our own neighborhoods. Plus kudos to illustrator Wallace West, who totally captures the Dogtown zeitgeist.
In the interest of full disclosure, I received this book from NetGalley, Feiwel and Friends, and Macmillan Children’s Publishing Group in exchange for an honest review.
March 8, 2024
*libby app *
Wonderful story that will have you crying, smiling, and cursing a couple characters.
Definitely want to see more of this dog community:)
Wonderful story that will have you crying, smiling, and cursing a couple characters.
Definitely want to see more of this dog community:)
September 12, 2023
Not surprisingly, I loved this book. I say not surprisingly because so far, I've loved everything that Katherine Applegate writes. And yes, not surprisingly, I teared up at times. This was a sweet story about a three-legged dog (Chance) who finds herself at a shelter after being injured and abandoned by irresponsible pet sitters while her favorite humans were abroad. The creative bit is that robot dogs are a thing and the shelter includes both abandoned real dogs and robot dogs. Not surprisingly there is an us vs them mentality between the robot dogs and the real dogs, but the bottom line is that any of them could be "decommissioned".
An unlikely friendship develops between Chance, a robot dog (Metal Head), and a mouse (Mouse) as Chance and Metal Head seek to find their forever homes and Mouse seeks to provide for his family.
I loved that books/reading played a part in this story. Quinn's story was heartwarming and I loved Mr. Molinari. Overall, I loved this story of friendship and love, and the illustrations really added to the story. While I am more of a cat person than a dog person (I love dogs, I just don't have the mentality to care for them), I loved reading about Chance and Metal Head search for their people and would recommend this for anyone who loves animals.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book from Netgalley and the publishers. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
An unlikely friendship develops between Chance, a robot dog (Metal Head), and a mouse (Mouse) as Chance and Metal Head seek to find their forever homes and Mouse seeks to provide for his family.
I loved that books/reading played a part in this story. Quinn's story was heartwarming and I loved Mr. Molinari. Overall, I loved this story of friendship and love, and the illustrations really added to the story. While I am more of a cat person than a dog person (I love dogs, I just don't have the mentality to care for them), I loved reading about Chance and Metal Head search for their people and would recommend this for anyone who loves animals.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book from Netgalley and the publishers. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
August 29, 2023
Very heartwarming and wholesome. Great story for any dog lovers. Offers something a little unique too with the robotic dogs. Chance was also my favorite. Thank you to Netgalley for an advanced copy of this book!
October 8, 2023
There is always a home for every dog, real or robotic. It all takes place in a very large dog shelter known as the Dogtown shelter where it is a safe haven for abandoned and stray dogs. We follow Chance, a three-legged dog 🐕 who’s been there since her loving family left for a six-month sabbatical and put her in the unfortunate care of two terrible dogsitters that put her in danger. She slowly begins to bond with the shelter’s only robotic dog and a mouse also living there as she wonders if her family is looking for her.
It’s a really great read for pet lovers and animal lovers as its charming and emotional story, characters and message makes it a start-to-finish delight with West’s stylishly cartoony illustrations telling it well. A real wholesome dog tale. A (100%/Outstanding)
It’s a really great read for pet lovers and animal lovers as its charming and emotional story, characters and message makes it a start-to-finish delight with West’s stylishly cartoony illustrations telling it well. A real wholesome dog tale. A (100%/Outstanding)
October 23, 2023
this touched the heart of even cynical non-dog person me, and if it can do that, I'm sure that young uncynical dog lovers will be utterly and completely in love with it!
April 20, 2025
The audiobook is what won me over. Dogs barking in the background, the sound of a distant train whistle, friendship and lessons about love…who could ask for anything more? Such a sweet listen.
November 25, 2023
Chance is the mascot of sorts of Dogtown - an animal shelter to both real dogs and robot dogs. Obviously the real dogs aren't too keen on the robot dogs, but Chance's preconceived ideas about robot dogs will be challenged when he befriends Metal Head.
We get the back stories of the two dogs as the story unfolds. It reminds me why I love my dogs so much - whether from a shelter or rescued off the street.
This is a great book to read aloud as it has short chapters and it is high interest. There are many wonderful lessons about friendship, compassion and kindness. I knew when I first saw this one I would love it.
We get the back stories of the two dogs as the story unfolds. It reminds me why I love my dogs so much - whether from a shelter or rescued off the street.
This is a great book to read aloud as it has short chapters and it is high interest. There are many wonderful lessons about friendship, compassion and kindness. I knew when I first saw this one I would love it.
August 22, 2024
This is such a wonderful, heartwarming book. You might need some kleenex, though, like I did. Highly recommended, especially if you have a special place in your heart for dogs.
May 1, 2024
A lovable story about what really makes Dog, either flesh & blood or robotic, man's best friend ❤️
August 16, 2024
Wat een lief en aandoenlijk kinderboek, ik kan niet wachten tot mijn nichtje oud genoeg is om deze te lezen.
February 20, 2024
Katherine Applegate is one of my favorite authors, but this book did not do it for me.
From the description I expected an adventure to find forever families, but really the portion where the characters leave the shelter is very short. Most of the book takes place in the shelter, complete with all the sad things that happen in a shelter, like getting to the top of "the list" and dogs thinking they're going to be put down. It is a very sad, anxiety-inducing book, and it feels like much of the point was to really emphasize to kids how terrible shelters are, which is a hard thing to put on them when kids cannot do much to materially help the situation without significant parent buy-in.
There's also a lot of ableism in this book, and though it's relatively low key, it's there and was hard to read as a disabled family. There's a ton of talk about how no one wants to see a dog with 3 legs and it is depressing to be around them. (Spoiler) This is contradicted at the VERY end (/Spoiler), but 99% of the book it is talked about as a given and an accepted thing everyone knows. They also talk about how no family would want an older dog because they'll have more vet bills. While this is true for dogs and dog adoptions, when you're anthropomorphizing the dogs to make them relatable to humans and like human stand-ins for deeper meaning, it sends a rough message to children (and adults) who need regular doctor visits and medical care and can feel like a burden on their family for it.
There's a nonspeaking autistic boy who visits the shelter and the happy arc of his story is how he begins talking and "entering the world in a way he never has," and while connection is necessary and good for humans, the whole thing has an off, ableist vibe in how it was framed. When he has a meltdown (partially from adults pushing him into it), he is suspended from returning; it is acknowledged it happened because of his disability not a choice but him, but the book treats as a given that it's a reasonable response to punish him for his disability and never acknowledges the responsibility of the adults in the situation. The human characters do care about him, though, the ableism was low-key, it just gave me the ick.
Overall a much sadder book than I was expecting. I thought it would be a hope-filled adventure, but it is mostly a depressing story of being stuck in a hard situation without the main character even looking to improve her life or imagining she could. It was 2 stars most of the way through for me, but at the end it bumped up to 3.5.
Definitely don't read if you've lost a dog recently.
A5R4K3.5
From the description I expected an adventure to find forever families, but really the portion where the characters leave the shelter is very short. Most of the book takes place in the shelter, complete with all the sad things that happen in a shelter, like getting to the top of "the list" and dogs thinking they're going to be put down. It is a very sad, anxiety-inducing book, and it feels like much of the point was to really emphasize to kids how terrible shelters are, which is a hard thing to put on them when kids cannot do much to materially help the situation without significant parent buy-in.
There's also a lot of ableism in this book, and though it's relatively low key, it's there and was hard to read as a disabled family. There's a ton of talk about how no one wants to see a dog with 3 legs and it is depressing to be around them. (Spoiler) This is contradicted at the VERY end (/Spoiler), but 99% of the book it is talked about as a given and an accepted thing everyone knows. They also talk about how no family would want an older dog because they'll have more vet bills. While this is true for dogs and dog adoptions, when you're anthropomorphizing the dogs to make them relatable to humans and like human stand-ins for deeper meaning, it sends a rough message to children (and adults) who need regular doctor visits and medical care and can feel like a burden on their family for it.
There's a nonspeaking autistic boy who visits the shelter and the happy arc of his story is how he begins talking and "entering the world in a way he never has," and while connection is necessary and good for humans, the whole thing has an off, ableist vibe in how it was framed. When he has a meltdown (partially from adults pushing him into it), he is suspended from returning; it is acknowledged it happened because of his disability not a choice but him, but the book treats as a given that it's a reasonable response to punish him for his disability and never acknowledges the responsibility of the adults in the situation. The human characters do care about him, though, the ableism was low-key, it just gave me the ick.
Overall a much sadder book than I was expecting. I thought it would be a hope-filled adventure, but it is mostly a depressing story of being stuck in a hard situation without the main character even looking to improve her life or imagining she could. It was 2 stars most of the way through for me, but at the end it bumped up to 3.5.
Definitely don't read if you've lost a dog recently.
A5R4K3.5
September 16, 2023
I am nearly 70 years old and have to say this is one of the best books I have read recently and I read alot of books. Maybe this was designed for young readers, but I found it to have many important meanings and lessons that all humans should learn from. Someone is different from you, does it mean they should not have love or caring in their lives. Everyone needs to open their eyes and hearts and our world would be a much better place. I always say we can learn from our dog family members alot about love. I would recommend this book to people of all ages
November 26, 2023
Such a sweet story, especially for dog lovers
February 23, 2024
This was a very relaxing and delightful book to read; a great way to spend a snowy, chilly afternoon. And I got totally caught up in this story about a 3-legged dog, his friend the mouse and a robotic dog. Somehow they get outside the dog pound where they are living and they go on an adventure; trying to get the metal dog back to his family. But once they get outside, things do not go as planned. And that of course is the adventure. There were many adventures inside the dog pound too.
At first I had to admit I didn't like the robotic dog named Metal Head. Why? Because Chance the main character didn't like him! Odd maybe but true. And Metal Head seemed very aloof. Standoffish. He had his own ideas. But what he also had was a plan. But as Chance started to get to know him than I also started to know him and his story. Plus Chance has a story too. Like how he lost his leg and ended up in the pound.
The dog pound in here seems kind of complicated. Or to me it does anyway. Of course I have never been to a dog pound. But this one has a reading program and everything. And the dogs all do stuff in their efforts to get adopted by someone. But through the reading program they help kids learn to read.
The theme at the center of this story is friendship. On how by working together friends can do all sorts of things. You are more powerful together than alone. Then the impossible becomes possible.
In many ways this reminds me of that one animated movie about the dogs. What was it called? Pets? There was that crazy rabbit in it too? Its very similar to that...
I know this book is for middle grade readers but I was totally hooked on this..never a dull moment in here either. And even near the very end I was uncertain how it would end. But there are many ups and downs in here, which the characters get through because of friendship.
At first I had to admit I didn't like the robotic dog named Metal Head. Why? Because Chance the main character didn't like him! Odd maybe but true. And Metal Head seemed very aloof. Standoffish. He had his own ideas. But what he also had was a plan. But as Chance started to get to know him than I also started to know him and his story. Plus Chance has a story too. Like how he lost his leg and ended up in the pound.
The dog pound in here seems kind of complicated. Or to me it does anyway. Of course I have never been to a dog pound. But this one has a reading program and everything. And the dogs all do stuff in their efforts to get adopted by someone. But through the reading program they help kids learn to read.
The theme at the center of this story is friendship. On how by working together friends can do all sorts of things. You are more powerful together than alone. Then the impossible becomes possible.
In many ways this reminds me of that one animated movie about the dogs. What was it called? Pets? There was that crazy rabbit in it too? Its very similar to that...
I know this book is for middle grade readers but I was totally hooked on this..never a dull moment in here either. And even near the very end I was uncertain how it would end. But there are many ups and downs in here, which the characters get through because of friendship.
October 10, 2025
What a great story! Highly recommend for upper elementary and or middle school students. Engaging, humorous, and heartwarming with short chapters that would truly appeal to students that don’t like to read long chapters. Additionally, this would make for a great read aloud in a classroom or for a family to read together.
I love that the hero of the story, Chance, has friends in the novel that are different than himself and that they take an adventure helping each other out and problem solve their challenges along the way. Lots of themes from what makes a friend, to never giving up, staying positive even when times are hard, to accepting those that are different and appreciating those differences, to what makes family.
The end of the novel also has great suggestions for kids as to how they can help lit animal shelters.
I love that the hero of the story, Chance, has friends in the novel that are different than himself and that they take an adventure helping each other out and problem solve their challenges along the way. Lots of themes from what makes a friend, to never giving up, staying positive even when times are hard, to accepting those that are different and appreciating those differences, to what makes family.
The end of the novel also has great suggestions for kids as to how they can help lit animal shelters.
August 22, 2025
Chance is a real, three-legged dog, who has the run of the dog shelter. She's considered lucky, and she's the mascot of those at the shelter who love poker.
Chance meets Metal Head, a robot dog who wants to go home. With the help of their mutual friend, Mouse, they head off to help Metal Head find his way back home.
This is a story filled with dogs, both real and robot, and, more importantly, heart.
Chance meets Metal Head, a robot dog who wants to go home. With the help of their mutual friend, Mouse, they head off to help Metal Head find his way back home.
This is a story filled with dogs, both real and robot, and, more importantly, heart.
January 31, 2024
It was sad at the end. Very sad.
January 30, 2024
Çok tatlıydın be!
October 11, 2025
Boys and I loved Chance, Mouse, and Metalhead’s adventure and were pretty tickled with how the story ended. We’re all looking forward to a trip to the local animal shelter soon!
March 21, 2025
this was so cute and im excited to read it with my practicum students!!
February 13, 2024
Such a heart warming story that takes place in a dog shelter, but not all of the animals in there are dogs of the furry kind (or even dogs!) It has themes of trust, kindness, acceptance, and probably most importantly, love. Written for young readers, it most definitely has a message for all of us, no matter our age.
September 10, 2025
Lief, grappig. Over een hond en een robot hond die meer van elkaar leren dan ze ooit hadden verwacht, en tegelijkertijd over zoveel andere dingen, zoals vriendschap, beperkingen, een kans krijgen en iets een kans geven.
“Paardenstaart lachte en ik kwispelde, want ik was ik hun ogen niet zomaar een manke hond. Ik was een hond die kon lezen met een muis als vriend. Een boek en een vriend… kon het mooier?”
“Paardenstaart lachte en ik kwispelde, want ik was ik hun ogen niet zomaar een manke hond. Ik was een hond die kon lezen met een muis als vriend. Een boek en een vriend… kon het mooier?”
April 25, 2025
Chance loses her leg and her family and lands in a shelter. This might make some people bitter and sad, but Chance is a dog capable of tremendous grace. Well, she has no love for the metal robot dogs that also share her space. Once again these authors show how much love and kindness they can pour between pages. This is going to be a lovely addition to our Battle lineup.
November 20, 2023
Funny and touching!
November 29, 2024
"your heart is a muscle. It grows stronger the more you use it.".
Cute book
Cute book
March 2, 2025
yes, this is a children’s book. yes, it was so good.
July 25, 2025
Una historia sencilla y linda. Al final trae consejos para apoyar a los perritos de refugios
November 9, 2024
I read this with my nine year old daughter and we both enjoyed it. Chapters are pretty short, but that’s a minor thing. The accompanying illustrations within the book were very cute. The heartening friendship that blossoms between Chance and Metal Head was very sweet. And the ending was what we were hoping for.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 568 reviews