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Dog Diaries #7
Stubby
A scrappy stray becomes one of the greatest dogs in military history!
Stubby the war dog narrates the story of his life--from his days as a stray to his time on the battlefields of France! Adopted by Private John Robert Conroy in 1917 when the dog wandered into training camp, Stubby soon became the mascot for the 26th Yankee division--even learning how to salute! When the men were shipped out for France, Conroy smuggled Stubby on-board . . . and the rest is the kind of incredible true story that dog-crazy middle graders sit up and beg for! By the end of the war, Stubby had served in 17 battles, been injured by mustard gass and grenade; found and captured a German spy; shaken hands with Woodrow Willson; and become the first dog given rank in the United States Armed Forces!
Stubby the war dog narrates the story of his life--from his days as a stray to his time on the battlefields of France! Adopted by Private John Robert Conroy in 1917 when the dog wandered into training camp, Stubby soon became the mascot for the 26th Yankee division--even learning how to salute! When the men were shipped out for France, Conroy smuggled Stubby on-board . . . and the rest is the kind of incredible true story that dog-crazy middle graders sit up and beg for! By the end of the war, Stubby had served in 17 battles, been injured by mustard gass and grenade; found and captured a German spy; shaken hands with Woodrow Willson; and become the first dog given rank in the United States Armed Forces!
160 pages, Paperback
First published July 7, 2015
34 people are currently reading
262 people want to read
About the author
Kate Klimo
55 books139 followersKate Klimo spent her early years amidst the cornfields of Iowa where the winters were prodigious. Often, when the snows flash-thawed in the spring, she would find her backyard filled with the flapping, resurrected bodies of fish her ice-fishing father had stored in the snowdrifts. Thus sprang into her young head the unshakable notion that, all winter long, fish escaped from the rivers and magically swum through the snow banks of Mount Vernon, Iowa.
When she moved to the little town of Sea Cliff, on Long Island Sound, she met her best friend Justine in the Stenson Memorial Library at the main desk, where they often checked out the same fantasy writers. Together, they read C.S. Lewis, E. Nesbit, Edward Eager, and George MacDonald and embarked on a tireless search for portals to magical worlds, extending from abandoned Victorian mansions to the decrepit local five-and-dime to the sandy cliffs sweeping down to the Sound.
With her propensity for magical thinking and long-standing love of fantasy, does it come as any surprise that Kate grew up to be in the book business? But after over 25 years of heading up Random House Children’s Books, with the publication of The Dragon in the Sock Drawer in March 2008, Kate began to ease over to the author’s side of the desk.
Now a full-time author, in addition to numerous one-off titles, she has written the middle-grade series The Dragon Keepers series and the Dog Diaries as well the Centauriad for young adults. Under the pen name Bonnie Worth, she has penned over a dozen books in the best-selling Cat in the Hat Learning Library. She lives in New Paltz, New York with her husband and two horses.
When she moved to the little town of Sea Cliff, on Long Island Sound, she met her best friend Justine in the Stenson Memorial Library at the main desk, where they often checked out the same fantasy writers. Together, they read C.S. Lewis, E. Nesbit, Edward Eager, and George MacDonald and embarked on a tireless search for portals to magical worlds, extending from abandoned Victorian mansions to the decrepit local five-and-dime to the sandy cliffs sweeping down to the Sound.
With her propensity for magical thinking and long-standing love of fantasy, does it come as any surprise that Kate grew up to be in the book business? But after over 25 years of heading up Random House Children’s Books, with the publication of The Dragon in the Sock Drawer in March 2008, Kate began to ease over to the author’s side of the desk.
Now a full-time author, in addition to numerous one-off titles, she has written the middle-grade series The Dragon Keepers series and the Dog Diaries as well the Centauriad for young adults. Under the pen name Bonnie Worth, she has penned over a dozen books in the best-selling Cat in the Hat Learning Library. She lives in New Paltz, New York with her husband and two horses.
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Displaying 1 - 29 of 29 reviews
March 21, 2019
My son read this to me. Does it count as part of reading challenge? After all, it's a bit like a 'live' real-time audio book.
'Dog Diaries' is a neat series that tells the true stories of dogs that have historical significance. It is a unique way of experiencing history. This one is about Stubby, a pit bull or pit bull-mix that saved countless lives during World War 1. It is a touching story about the love and loyalty Stubby gives to the young man that saved him and Stubby's friendships with the other young men too.
There is an animation based on this true story that is worth the watch. I feel that the relationships between Stubby and the soldiers are important to observe because it shows the seriousness of war and what people went through during World War 1. It's a thorough overview. If you watch the animation though, get out your Kleenex box.
'Dog Diaries' is a neat series that tells the true stories of dogs that have historical significance. It is a unique way of experiencing history. This one is about Stubby, a pit bull or pit bull-mix that saved countless lives during World War 1. It is a touching story about the love and loyalty Stubby gives to the young man that saved him and Stubby's friendships with the other young men too.
There is an animation based on this true story that is worth the watch. I feel that the relationships between Stubby and the soldiers are important to observe because it shows the seriousness of war and what people went through during World War 1. It's a thorough overview. If you watch the animation though, get out your Kleenex box.
March 4, 2017
This book was really good. It was about a dog who was the greatest war dog.
January 25, 2023
Read this aloud to my elementary-aged sons. We already loved Stubby from the movie, and this book is one of our favorites in this series. Highly recommend this series for your 7-12 year old dog lovers. Or even history lovers who aren’t into animals (🙋🏻♀️).
June 25, 2019
My kids loved this book! Especially my son who loves history and the military.
May 21, 2018
SPOILERS
This book is based on an amazing true story in my perspective. I love the storyline and it was so fun to read as an actual book. I love how Kate put it into Stubbs perspective because she did it so perfectly. I just think that this book was amazing with all the action with the battles and the training that Stubbs went into with Conroy. I love how the author made Stubbs so willing and he did everything he could for Conroy and his buddies. I really didn't like how Stubbs was caught and almost sent away from Conroy because I was scared at the part because it seemed so real, but he wasn't sent away. I also kind of disliked the beginning because people called him ugly. I also dislike the beginning because he was abandoned by his mother/siblings. That was a sad part of the book to read. I loved the part of the book where he saluted though because I thought it was really cute and freaking amazing that a dog could salute. It's also crazy that Stubbs was the first dog in the army to get a rank. Also, that he was in 17 battles because that is a lot! I also love the way Kate makes her books. She writes the story from the dogs perspective and after she adds a picture of the dog if it was a true story (like Stubby) and then she adds a few more pages of the actual/real dog Stubbs. That just always fascinates me and for some reason, it just amazed me to see that Stubbs was an actual real dog. At first, I was just reading the book and didn't know it was a true story, but then at the end of the book I saw the picture and was speechless. That Stubbs was a real dog that did so many incredible things as sniffing out bombs, helping wounded, warning of incoming, and playing with the soldiers. I also hate the part when Stubbs got near death from mustard gas and also by a grenade once too. Again, that part was just scary to me, but once it was over and he was still alive it was all good. I also love how Kate was very close to almost the same thing as the real story instead of just going of adding so many things that actually didn't happen. Overall I was just amazed by this book and love all the good and bad parts to it that make it such an amazing book. But, you can't have the book without the true story that I was just amazed by too :)
This book is based on an amazing true story in my perspective. I love the storyline and it was so fun to read as an actual book. I love how Kate put it into Stubbs perspective because she did it so perfectly. I just think that this book was amazing with all the action with the battles and the training that Stubbs went into with Conroy. I love how the author made Stubbs so willing and he did everything he could for Conroy and his buddies. I really didn't like how Stubbs was caught and almost sent away from Conroy because I was scared at the part because it seemed so real, but he wasn't sent away. I also kind of disliked the beginning because people called him ugly. I also dislike the beginning because he was abandoned by his mother/siblings. That was a sad part of the book to read. I loved the part of the book where he saluted though because I thought it was really cute and freaking amazing that a dog could salute. It's also crazy that Stubbs was the first dog in the army to get a rank. Also, that he was in 17 battles because that is a lot! I also love the way Kate makes her books. She writes the story from the dogs perspective and after she adds a picture of the dog if it was a true story (like Stubby) and then she adds a few more pages of the actual/real dog Stubbs. That just always fascinates me and for some reason, it just amazed me to see that Stubbs was an actual real dog. At first, I was just reading the book and didn't know it was a true story, but then at the end of the book I saw the picture and was speechless. That Stubbs was a real dog that did so many incredible things as sniffing out bombs, helping wounded, warning of incoming, and playing with the soldiers. I also hate the part when Stubbs got near death from mustard gas and also by a grenade once too. Again, that part was just scary to me, but once it was over and he was still alive it was all good. I also love how Kate was very close to almost the same thing as the real story instead of just going of adding so many things that actually didn't happen. Overall I was just amazed by this book and love all the good and bad parts to it that make it such an amazing book. But, you can't have the book without the true story that I was just amazed by too :)
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 14, 2019
Such an interesting, informative story for a young reader. My son loved this book so much, that he insisted I also read it! And I also enjoyed it. I have only read 2 books in this series but both my son and I have both enjoyed these.
March 23, 2023
My daughter is all about the Dog Diaries series right now. She’s in first grade and we’ve been reading them together. Stubby’s story is great! Super engaging for an Elementary School level audience!
April 29, 2025
Solid, engaging style of writing with this one. Klimo does a fantastic job of conveying the intensity of war, cushioning the harshness without patronizing her readers. Stubby's life story is given a respectful, dignified treatment (as it should) within the constraints of the vocabulary appropriate for the 7-10 year old target audience. Well done.
August 9, 2015
A bandy-legged mutt from Connecticut comes nose to nose with a sergeant in the US Army in World War I. He then proceeds to become a hero on the battlefields of France, saves wounded soldiers, and even catches a German spy. He is inducted into the army, wins medals, and meets presidents. Don't you just wish you knew what was going through his mind? Well now you can. Stubby, maybe the greatest real life dog hero ever, tells his own story in the latest installment of the Dog Diaries series by Kate Klimo. Makes a great fiction/nonfiction pairing with “Stubby the War Dog: The True Story of World War I's Bravest Dog”, by Ann Bausum .
Other books in the series:
#1 Ginger
#2 Buddy
#3 Barry
#4 Togo
#5 Dash
#6 Sweetie
Other books in the series:
#1 Ginger
#2 Buddy
#3 Barry
#4 Togo
#5 Dash
#6 Sweetie
February 11, 2016
Written from Stubby’s point of view, the text takes some liberties in exploring the dog’s feelings and the soldiers’ dialogue. The dog’s voice is believably snappy and hard, as he was a stray and then a scrappy addition to the Army. The appendix provides some factual background on the real Stubby and his breed, the American Staffordshire Bull Terrier. Also included are two photographs of Stubby and black-and-white realistic cartoon illustrations throughout the text that are sweet and endear the dog to the reader. This book is recommended for children in grades 3-5 who enjoy animal or war stories.
June 12, 2016
Stubby survived 17 battles,four offenses, a exploded grenade, and a gas attack
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 13, 2021
read aloud to my little bros.
April 4, 2020
A heart warming fictionalized account of the true life story of Stubby, a hero dog in WW1. He survived the trenches, gas attacks, and even a grenade. His story was delightful for me to read aloud to my children. However, one glaring error kept me from giving it 5 stars. In the epilogue, where dogs in warfare are discussed more in depth, it said that the United States joined WW2 in December 1942 after the bombing of Pearl Harbor. For a book about historical dogs in warfare to misquote a date that is infamous is embarrassing.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 13, 2017
The character of Stubby, the Staffordshire Bullterrier, is based on a real dog. It is amazing that the author could relate the terribleness of war and the First World War in particular in such consumable ways for a young reader.
Afterwords are full of lots of supporting information and links to more information and activities.
Afterwords are full of lots of supporting information and links to more information and activities.
June 16, 2025
Cute TRUE story about a war dog. It also gave me a little info about WWI which is something I know little about. I also liked that this story is told from the dog’s perspective. Dogs make the world a better place. Stubby was no exception. He helped with the war in the ways he could. I loved his licks to the injured soldiers in the hospital.
April 17, 2018
Go Sgt. Stubby, Go! What a great story of the hardships endured and the sacrifices made by this little pooch after befriending a young soldier who was heading for the battlefields of France.
May 20, 2019
Pretty much the cutest dog series out there.
December 24, 2019
Really cute and well done! :)
February 25, 2020
Middle Grade historic fiction. This one is told from the perspective of Stubby, a real dog doing real heroic things during WWI. It was engaging and well-told and I see why my 9yo recommended it to me.
January 31, 2023
It's a really cool book and gives you an idea of how trenches worked in a war.
March 27, 2024
it is a great introduction into the history of sgt stubby
Read
January 10, 2025Read as a tie in for WWI history.
December 11, 2021
A fun historical fiction, middle-grade novel that looks at WWI from the perspective of the most decorated dog in military history. There is age appropriate suspense and children can learn about The Great War in an engaging way. Don't miss reading the appendix to see just how true this doggie diary is!
January 13, 2016
See the first book in the series for a full review.
March 17, 2016
I mean, c'mon-who doesn't love a good dog story?
April 1, 2017
Although written for children, I would encourage anyone who has owned a dog and or had a family member who served, to read Kate Klimo's book, particularly Stubby.
February 19, 2018
This was good but also sad.
November 2, 2017
Great book- easy read but good lesson!!
Read
December 4, 2018is about a dog that is a street dog and hides behind a restaurant and eats out of a dumpster and the army people came and Conrad saw him and thought he was cute and then Conrad left and the dog followed him.
Displaying 1 - 29 of 29 reviews