Dogboy

by Victor Kelleher

Here is a tale that questions who we are and how we relate to the natural world. He is born on a bare hillside, near the end of the Dry Time.
Abandoned by his mother, cared for and suckled only by a dog, he becomes a creature of the wilds. To the poor villagers, he hardly appears human at all, and they reject him. Yet the dogboy, as he is called, proves to be a survivor in this USBBY Outstanding International Book.
Against all odds, and despite his savage upbringing, he grows into a "special" child—someone destined to change the lives of all who cross his path.

Genres: Young Adult

213 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2005

About the author

Victor Kelleher is an Australian author. Victor was born in London and moved to Africa with his parents, at the age of fifteen. He spent the next twenty years travelling and studying in Africa, before moving to New Zealand. Kelleher received a teaching degree in Africa and has taught in Africa, New Zealand and Australia. While in New Zealand, he began writing part time, prompted by homesickness for Africa. He moved to Australia in 1976, with his South African wife, Allison, and taught at the University of New England, in Armidale, New South Wales, before moving to Sydney to write full time. Many of the books he has written have been based on his childhood and his travellings in Africa.

Kelleher has won many awards for his books, such as the Australian Children's Book Award.

Reviews

[Alec Mcclure · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dogboy, by Victor Kelleher was definitely a thrill ride for the reader, myself. The action packed book was an all around good read except for a few slow chapters towards the beginning and middle. I had some trouble getting into the book but once I did, there was no stopping me. I flew through each page and chapter until I reached the climax. Now, I know you're thinking that this should me the most interesting part of the story. It was after I got through the first slow pages when the author was trying to establish a plot. I really enjoyed the action packed storyline of the boys tale as he was brought up in a family of wild dogs in the mountains. Sadly, I was a little disappointed at times when such an action packed chapter, dropped off so quickly into a long, dry sensing series of pages with no real drama. I most definitely would suggest this book to a thrill seeker who wants to come across a different book for a change.

[Daniel Croser · Rating 5 out of 5]

MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS DEPENDING on how you understand what i've written

Great book, about a child/adult named "dogboy" who was abandoned by his mother and raised by a dog. he finds his way back to the village through many trials just as a baby with his foster mother, the dog. i enjoyed it especially when he is a teenager and, although by now he is more human in character than dog, he still insists he's a dog and goes out with his dog-sister and becomes more like a dog, and refuses to speak to the humans, or the woman who, unbeknownst to him, is his mother and helped him as a younger child. the book has a very strong moral which i think is that if you get filled with pride that you won't be as succesful. it is a very strong and vaguely sad book which i was completely enraptured by, and couldn't put it at all.

[Calvin Taylor · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very engaging story of a boy raised by dogs who seeks to find his place in the world. It is set in a world with tones of the fantasy genre, though without the explicit magic; it is a pre-industrial world where people struggle to survive frequent and prolonged periods of drought. The boy himself is depicted very effectively and it is difficult not to empathise with his outsider status. The various periods of his life - baby, boy, youth and man - structure the text in an appropriate fashion. It is written in language that is accessible, revealing both atmosphere and character. Exploring the nature of identity and how we find our place in the world, this is a good book for the target audience.

[Nola · Rating 1 out of 5]

Pretty weird. I only give it one because I really, really, really didn't like all the stuff in the beginning. Especially the part with the bear claw. Other than the fact it was hard to read because of all the terrible things that happened to dogboy, I didn't find the book especially engaging anyway.

[n a t a l i a · Rating 1 out of 5]

I didn't like it, sorry... i found it was rather boring and was hard to read at first - it didn't flow. I also did not understand the book's setting and time (as in whether it was in the older times or even on another planet). But that is just my personal opinion :)

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found this book poignant and original while also dealing with universal themes of belonging, ambition, and man's relationship to the natural world. My students might find it a little weird but will also be drawn in by the vivid, arresting world.

[Dang Bretherton · Rating 3 out of 5]

The choice to make or made, does not mean all is planned, here teaches how mistakes are taught and to realise them when standing at the edge of a cliff. In the end, you start to see in the things that’s worth most to you than others, and really a heart warming journey with Dogboy.

[Tridib · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was ok. I liked it to some extent. The storyline itself is quite creative since a boy has been raised by a dog, therefore named Dogboy. It is not bad so it is worth reading.

[Emily Rawlings · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was sometimes dragging but none the less a great story. It felt almost like a dreamtime story.

[insanityexplained · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the most heartfelt books I've read, beautifully moving and well written. I was moved to tears on numerous occasions.

[Rachel (Sfogs) · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a great, if some what sad story.