Susan

Dog Diaries #12

by Kate Klimo

Queen Elizabeth II's corgi Susan spills secrets of life in the Royal Family!

Gifted to Princess Elizabeth on her 18th birthday, Susan was the cherished companion of the future monarch—even joining the princess on her honeymoon in 1947! Eight years later, she was in attendance when Elizabeth was crowned Queen. How does a Royal Corgi spend her days? What goes on in the Corgi Room in Buckingham Palace? Susan reveals all, along with details about Elizabeth's work as a lorry driver during World War II—where she learned to take apart an engine and put it back together! With realistic back and white illustrations throughout and a fact-filled appendix, this is the kind of historical fiction that reluctant middle-grade readers will bow down to with respect!

Genres: Childrens, Dogs, Historical Fiction, Fiction, Young Adult, Historical

160 pages, Library Binding

First published January 9, 2018

About the author

Kate 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.

Reviews

[Kathryn · Rating 4 out of 5]

I got this for a family read-aloud so my children could learn a bit about Queen Elizabeth II in an engaging way way as we come upon the Platinum Jubilee. However, I quickly realized it would not be suitable for my sensitive young animal lovers. (Not one but two corgis are run over and killed within the opening chapters!) Still, I found it somewhat compelling and ended up reading it myself. Despite being an Anglophile, I have never studied the reigning queen with great depth so I can't speak to to authenticity of the biography, though what I do know of her life story seemed reflected well here. The tone throughout is certainly one of deep love and admiration as it is told from Susan's perspective and she clearly adores "her lady" and thinks she can do no wrong. And we certainly see much to admire, though Kilmo is manages to weave in in what might be seen as some critiques especially by modern readership. The chapter where a stray dog scrabbles under the fence and meets Susan in the royal gardens is perhaps a contrived, but the juxtaposition of his life on the streets with Susan's ridiculously spoiled life is poignant. And, indeed, the books shows this "spoiled" opulence of the monarchy... the gowns, the lavish parties, the servants... Yet we also see the admirable public service... Elizabeth's war efforts preparing food and driving lorries, the subjugation of personal freedom to the role that was not her own choice.... For example, you see not only the opulent jeweled crown she wears for the coronation but the painstaking training she endured to be ready to gracefully wear something weighing five pounds in front of millions of people. It is easy for me to leap to judgement of Elizabeth leaving young Charles in the care of nannies while she followed Phillip to Malta where she enjoyed dancing and shopping ... yet she also cherished being unrecognized and having a freedom she had never known in England and part of me can understand how she would want to grasp at that while she could. With her beloved corgis, Queen Elizabeth was simply a beloved mistress and she cherished her walks with them and loved giving them a freedom she never knew. "When it comes to naughty corgis, the queen is the only one allowed [to discipline them] and she is far from strict. Why this is so, one can only wonder. Has she been too often absent and unable to enforce training? Is she too busy with affairs of state? Or is she simply softhearted? One explanation might be this: that she herself was born into captivity in her role as queen. Her life consists of an endless procession of rituals, obligation and duties that she must never shirk. Year after year, she is required to smile and wave, make polite conversation with strangers from around the world, and, above all else, uphold tradition. Is it any wonder that she enjoys having a pack of corgis of which very little is asked -- except to love her as much as she loves them -- and who are, perhaps, just a little bit wild?" Indeed, the queen never housebroke her dogs and the servants were simply expected to clean up after them everywhere and the dogs bit various staff members without reprimand. While I don't mind a little "spoiling" with our beloved furry companions, it was hard for me to feel comfortable with such lack of discipline, especially when it comes to biting people (!), but I appreciate that Kilmo at least presents us with a view of the queen that is a deeply human with both strengths and flaws. The Afterward contains also some lovely photographs of the queen and her corgis throughout the years as well as information on the breed and the queen's own role in breeding her corgis though, alas, there is no Bibliography.

[Corgi · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely adored Susan (Dog Diaries #12) by Kate Klimo. K Klimo did an excellent job of telling the story of Susan, the Corgi owned by Queen Elizabeth when she was 18. It is a cute story told by Susan.

I would highly recommend Susan (Dog Diaries #12) to readers who like: Corgi's, Royal Corgi's, stories told by Corgi's and historical fiction.

[Ellen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoy the books in these series. Normally, I'm not all that keen on animal tales, but Klimo does such an expert job weaving in people and places in history that I am drawn in. In this volume, we meet Susan, royal corgi of princess - and eventually Queen - Elizabeth. Klimo does a superb job of bringing the royal tone to the dog's POV.

[Lauren · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a very cute introduction to the Royal family, and the royal corgis! As a corgi owner, I loved that the author incorporated some of our "language." This was a fun short read for adults and kids alike.

[Karen Carpenter · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you love corgis and the Queen, this is the book for you. Lots of historical detail and a fun story from the corgis point of view.

[Anne · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is a sappy book about Queen Elizabeth's first corgi, Susan. Susan is the narrator, and refers to the then Princess as "my little lady." We hear about the last year of the war, when the Queen was part of the motor transport service and took engines apart and drove big lorries around Surrey. We hear about her courtship and marriage with Phillip, and the birth of her "pups," Charles and Anne. We hear that Susan leaves little "donations" around the palace. Sigh. If you have a child who is obsessed with the Queen's corgis, this might be a good book for him or her to read.

[Stasia · Rating 3 out of 5]

A nice blending of history and animal facts, in this case, particularly about Corgis, the well known breed preferred by HRH Queen Elizabeth. Includes a facts section and pictures at the end of the book... I'm now eyeing the rest of the stack we have borrowed from the library!!!

[Alana Robinson · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was okay.

[Holly Burke · Rating 3 out of 5]

What I Loved: This series is very cute. I love the way the author teaches about historical people and places through the eyes of a dog. I think Queen Elizabeth is a fascinating women and I liked learning more about her and her corgis. My favorite part was the historical note and pictures in the back.

What I Didn't Love: This installment in the series didn't stand out to me as much as the one about the German Shepard. It was just ok!

[Lacey · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read these dog diaries books out loud to my son. We both learned a lot about Queen Elizabeth with this one!

[Emily Dudek · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love it!
It's so funny!
If you like corgis,
Here's your book!

[Cathryn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Absolutely adorable. The author really did her research, too.

[Sarah Wilson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read around to Jed and Jules. My least favorite book of the series so far…but the kids still enjoyed it.

[P.K.Eason · Rating 5 out of 5]

This might be the best, most exciting, interesting book I have read in 2018! It is so cool that this book gives information, and for that, fun information about Queen Elizabeth II and her love for corgis! Susan, the main character, has much attitude and that makes the book fun to read and very humorous! The people and dogs Susan meets have personality too! I recommend this to everyone who, for one, loves animals, for two, wants a fun book that can be a learning experience, and at last, loves a happy and lighthearted time! :)

As some books that are based on real life stories end, this one ends sadly. Susan does end up dying, but it couldn't be in a more peaceful way. The end, like the rest of the book, includes humor as well!:)

[Margaret · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such an excellent book! Thanks Susan for teaching us so much about British History. And Corgis too!