Dog Town

by Luīze Pastore

PRIZEWINNER! All Jacob wants is for a tall ship to sail down the street, right past his dining-room window ... but now his wish has got him into big trouble. His dad takes him to stay with his grumpy cousin Mimi and ex-sailor Uncle Eagle on the other side of town. It's going to be a long summer. Then he meets the Boss, leader of the Dog Town pack and everything changes. They need Jacob to help them fight tooth and paw to save their home from the evil Skyler Scraper - and safeguard their town for ever. Based on local legend this is a prizewinning story of myths, maps and summer adventures in the big city.

CHILDREN'S BOOK OF THE WEEK: THE TIMES 'A delightful doggy adventure ... with great humour and style' --Alex O'Connell

'Dog Town is a charming middle-grade adventure, full of plot surprises, wisdom and quirky humour it s Pastore s debut in English, and I hope there ll be a lot more to come.' --Daniel Hahn

'The real world and magic mix in a story that will wriggle its way into children's imaginations and stay there for a long time.' --Andrea Reece, Lovereading4kids

Paperback

Published April 1, 2018

About the author

Luīze Pastore is a Latvian writer of children's literature. She is the author of over 15 prose books for children.

Awards and Recognitions:

2022, Laimes bērni - International Baltic Sea Region Jānis Baltvilks Award in Children's Literature

2022, Laimes bērni - 2022 BolognaRagazzi Award "New Horizons"

2018, Dog Town - #BEST NEW KIDS BOOKS 2018 Guardian pick

2018, London Book Fair, official author, Latvian delegation

2017, Pastariņš prize for the Art Detectives series

2016, "The Invisible Man" (from The Art Detectives series) selected for "The White Raven" 2016 list

2016, Annual Latvian Literature Award as the Best Children's Book for the Art Detectives series

2016, Latvian Children's Jury Chocolate Award for the Art Detectives series

2015, International Baltic Sea Region Jānis Baltvilks Award in Children's Literature for the Art Detectives series

2013, Latvian Literature Award as the Best Children's Book for Maskačkas stāsts (Dog Town)

Reviews

[Dane Cobain · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is cute, a sort of middle grade/children’s book that follows the story of a young boy and an army of talking dogs as they try to protect their local area from being redeveloped into a concrete jungle. It’s also set in Riga, and it’s written, illustrated and translated by Latvians and published in English, making it a cool way to introduce kids to a different culture through the form of a badass adventure.

In fact, it’s the illustrations in this book which are the best part of it. They’re done by Reinis Petersons, a very talented illustrator who I was lucky enough to meet and who drew a fridge magnet for me. They really help to bring the story to life and I was particularly happy with the maps that are included because they also form a part of the story. It does a great job of making you feel as though you’re really in Riga, and it’s also just a pretty good kids’ book. It’s aesthetically pleasing, too.

[Sandra · Rating 3 out of 5]

'' You know, if people don't make it clear how they feel and what they want, someone else might fill in the gaps, maybe adding their own ideas too - and that leads to misunderstandings and arguments. ''

What drew me to this middle grade book was that it was set in Riga ( my Dad's hometown) and in the beginning of the novel plays with local myth.

The story centres around Jacob, who actually wants to ride a tall ship down the centre of Riga, so offers the words the water sprite needs to cause the Daugava River to flood.

Jacob lives with his father and is home schooled via tutors. He is a lonely boy, with an active imagination and a knack for map drawing.

Due to a change in his Dad's finances he is sent to his Uncle Eagle and sassy cousin Mimi, in the district of Maskatcha. Jacob befriends a local pack of talking dogs & this is when the adventure begins.

A heart warming tale of friendship, community & preserving home.

The illustrations in this book complement the story perfectly and are done by a famous Latvian artist Reinis Pētersons.