The Storm Dog

Wintry Tales #6

by Holly Webb

Tilly is going to stay with her gran and great-gran in Wales. She's got a big school project about the Second World War to do and Gran, who was evacuated herself during the war, has promised to help. Travelling on the train for the first time alone, Tilly falls asleep and wakes up to discover she's travelled all the way back to World War II. She's being evacuated to Wales with her two younger brothers. Stern Mr Edwards offers to give them a home on his remote farm, where she meets a very special sheepdog...

Genres: Childrens, Christmas, Historical Fiction

192 pages, Hardcover

First published September 7, 2017

About the author

Holly Webb is one of Britain's best-loved children's writers. She has written over a hundred books for children, and her work has been translated into over thirty languages. Holly lives in Tilehurst, just outside of Reading, Berkshire, with her husband, three children and several cats.

Reviews

[Stephanie Fitzgerald · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good, simple to read chapter book for elementary readers. It would be an excellent tool for introducing WW2 to younger grades, as it relates the experiences of three evacuee children from London, without the more grown-up details of the war.

[Isa (Pages Full of Stars) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Book #7 for Believathon, for the prompt #7 - Read a seasonal book.

4,5 stars

I mostly picked up this book, because of the seasonal prompt in Believathon. I wanted something wintry, without mentioning Christmas, as I save these books for December. And I'm suite surprised how much I enjoyed it! Maybe because it's partly historical fiction or maybe due to the writing style, it really reminded me of some of my beloved children's classics, such as The Children of Noisy Village by Astrid Lindgren or The Chronicles of Narnia.

I'm really happy that I had a chance to read it, and it's one of the best children's stories I discovered recently. I will happily pass it on to the kids in my family, when they're old enough for this story :)

[Sue · Rating 5 out of 5]

Not really sure how to review this. I couldn't sleep so as I didn't want to turn the light on, I quickly downloaded a quick read (All be it a children's book). It was entertaining enough to me (50 years past the recommendation age! 🤣) but I know this would have suited me perfectly and just the type of book I would have relished.

[Matt Davies · Rating 3 out of 5]

Holly Webb is a prolific children’s author who has written over 100 books for children. Many of these are based on animals and have a smattering of history thrown in. A few of her books have caught my eye recently: The Princcess and the Suffragette and Return to the Secret Garden (both sequels to much-loved classics). However, I have never before read one of her titles. In all honesty, the books didn’t appeal to my tastes. That said, I am on a mission to broaden my knowledge of children’s literature so took a punt on this newly published title.

Tilly is a off to her Gran’s for Christmas and has a big project about the Second World War to complete which her Great-Gran (also called Tilly) has promised to help with. Full of enthusiasm and a sense of adventure, Tilly sets off on the train journey by herself. On the way, she falls asleep only to wake up in her Great-Gran’s past. She is now being evacuated with her two younger brothers. There the family are taken in by Mr Thomas, a farmer, where Tilly forms a special bond with sheepdog Tarran.

One of the key elements of the narrative is the portrayal of life as an evacuee. As I’ve written before Emma Carroll’s Letters from the Lighthouse sets out an evacuee’s experiences brilliantly for older primary aged children. Storm Dog, on the other hand, is one of the best examples I’ve seen that introduces younger children to this chapter in our history. It is definitely a book that I would recommend teachers investigate if they are covering the war in Lower Key Stage 2.

I was pleasantly surprised by this book. It is a heart-warming and enchanting Christmas tale, which will appeal to many a child. It is an accessible reader for maturing readers starting out with chapter books (as children in school like to call them), but also a book that is ready to be shared. As a parent, I can see myself reading this to my daughter when she is a few years older. You never know, it could become a family classic like The White Hippo did when I was a boy.

www.mrdaviesreads.co.uk

[Lara Vehar · Rating 5 out of 5]

I wanted to read another nice and short book - this one was also recommanded to me by Book Depository so it suited me perfectly. It's a really nice short story and it makes me want to read more by this author. The characters are lovely, it teaches children about history without the violence and it teaches kids about rationing and that they should be grateful that they have food and aren't separated from their parents without being condescending or rude. The main character is also really likeable. It has that trope of the main character falling asleep and having a great fantastic adventure only to wake up and realize that it was all a dream - but it's executed really well, it flows withing the story and it isn't odd. I would've really enjoyed this book as a child and I really liked it as an adult. It also made me appreciate and love dogs even more.

[Thistle · Rating 2 out of 5]

The Storm Dog was written for readers aged 6-8. It was a cute story about a girl traveling on her own to see her grandmother, but it was way way too basic for me. Not a sight against the book, as I'm quite a bit out of the 6-8 age range. Young readers would likely enjoy this book. I gave up on it at the 20% mark.

[Bryony Malone · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book.

[Tamara Zann · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not magically well written but a sweet story for a evening in bed.

[Sarah Louise · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved reading the storm dog 🐕 I loved how story went back in time too (tilly was dreaming)

[Abbie Seddon · Rating 3 out of 5]

picked this up a couple hours ago whilst waiting for ma airport transfer .. v cute book and passed the time xx luv a good children's story

[Izzie Wolf · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love this

[Angel And Stitch · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing it's my fav book now I was even tilly for world book day Holly Webb I would die for another book of yours

[Emily❤️ · Rating 4 out of 5]

I kinda liked storm dog cause it was good and all but it was a tiny bit bad. But reading it was still very enjoyable still though.

[Petia Vladimirova · Rating 5 out of 5]

Adorable book! Many years ago my life was changed by books aboit animals, so I grabbed this one without thinking.
I have to say at first it wasn't my book, but the story is so realistic and so heart warming that I loved it!
My only note is that some moments could be describbed more detailed. Still I love the book.