Dog Diaries: A Middle School Story

Dog Diaries #1

by James Patterson, Richard Watson (Illustrator)

Here's MIDDLE SCHOOL for young readers -- through the eyes of Rafe Khatchadorian's misbehaving mutt, Junior! When rule-breaking Rafe has to train his new dog in obedience school, you know things are about to get really ruff!
Oh boy, oh boy, oh boy! I've been waiting for ages to tell my story, and now it's finally happening! Being Rafe's dog isn't always easy, but it is always EXCITING! I've got so much to tell you about: -How I protect the yard from birds, raccoons, squirrels, raccoons, mail carriers...and did I mention RACCOONS? -Sniffing pooch posteriors for the latest canine news. -And the terrifying monster hiding in the hall closet: the vacuum cleaner!
These were all the most paw-some parts of my doggie life -- until the evil Mrs. Stricker threatened to send me back to the pound if I didn't learn to behave. Now Rafe and I have to go to obedience school and win the trophy for Best Trained Dog...or else!

Genres: Childrens, Middle Grade, Humor, Fiction, Animals, Dogs, Chapter Books

161 pages, Kindle Edition

First published May 31, 2018

About the author

Official US Site
Official UK Site
JIMMY Patterson Books
ReadKiddoRead

James Patterson is the most popular storyteller of our time and the creator of such unforgettable characters and series as Alex Cross, the Women’s Murder Club, Jane Smith, and Maximum Ride. He has coauthored #1 bestselling novels with Bill Clinton, Dolly Parton, and Michael Crichton, as well as collaborated on #1 bestselling nonfiction, including The Idaho Four, Walk in My Combat Boots, and Filthy Rich. Patterson has told the story of his own life in the #1 bestselling autobiography James Patterson by James Patterson. He is the recipient of an Edgar Award, ten Emmy Awards, the Literarian Award from the National Book Foundation, and the National Humanities Medal.

Reviews

[Ioana · Rating 4 out of 5]

După română și engleză, uite că am citit și prima mea carte în câineză. Jurnalul unui câine poznaș este prima carte pentru copii scrisă de un câine, pe numele său de Junior, ce împrumută penițele lui James Patterson și Steven Butler pentru a-și împărtăși gândurile cu noi, cei mai buni prieteni ai săi.
Junior tocmai ce a fost adoptat de la tristul adăpost de animale. Saint-Bunica, Doamna-Mamă, Fălcuțe și Mariham Prindosu sunt membrii noii sale familii, pe care o iubește nespus încă de la primele priviri. Mariham devine instantaneu prietenul lui cel mai bun, iar casa locul său de joacă și mirosit. Singurul inamic este aspiratorul din debara, ce mereu îl bagă în sperieți. Viața lui Junior este HAMtastică, însă un raton pare să îi pună capac visului său. Singura scăpare este absolvirea cu brio a unui curs de dresaj, dar cine vrea să urmeze ordine plictisitoare?
Am scris mai multe despre lectura perfectă pentru orice iubitor de câini într-un articol publicat pe blog.

https://ciobanuldeazi.home.blog/2023/...

[Emma Radford · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really funny - loved this diary of an untrainable pooch. The jokes were perfect for my 6 and 7yos. They loved the illustrations and thought the ending was brilliantly funny.

[Pug · Rating 4 out of 5]

Surprisingly amusing!

I always loved books written from a dog's point of view, like my favorite Bunnicula: A Rabbit-Tale of Mystery... at least I used to... I wasn't sure if this was going to cut it for me anymore. Though it wasn't anything too highfalutin, as a dog-lover (and dog-mom) I found the dog's POV and interest in doggy-things (like snacking, sniffing, and misbehaving) charming and silly. I even chuckled a little bit.

However, the plot point of the obedience school owner threatening to take the dog to the shelter unless they took her class is a huge conflict of interest... and sorta unbelievable. Mom-lady should have stepped up and told her to take a flying leap.

I mean, it's not as enrapturing as Diary of a Wimpy Kid (HA!), but it's sorta entertaining, so I might keep going with this series, as well.

[Raymond · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was a fun, funny little read. It is looking threw life, as a dog would see it. Probably a easy read for a 8 year old & up. Sometimes we need a laugh. This one will do just that. I like it for a relaxing read.

[Tom Hubbard · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very funny!

[AMY · Rating 4 out of 5]

191 pages. This is an interesting book written from a dog's perspective. It is full of humor and dog ideas about what is going on with obedience training and other furless human activities concerning man's best friend. There are lots of little drawings and silly dialog throughout the story. Kids will enjoy this one. Highly recommended for Grades 4-5.

[Carmen · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really liked how the book is a middle school book and I can’t wait to read the others

[Lori · Rating 5 out of 5]

Not a literary masterpiece, but a nice respite from today's world.

[Erin Britt · Rating 4 out of 5]

Super cute book! My whole family loved it. The only thing not making it 5stars is the words butt and stupid. The amount of poop talk kept everyone laughing and “Junior” sure knew how to keep us all laughing. In the end, he wins, but not as you would expect.

[OopsieMommy · Rating 4 out of 5]

My son says it’s a 5 star book so I’m going to give it a 4 since I personally didn’t think it was “perfect” but it’s still great that it kept my kiddo interested in reading!

[Alana Robinson · Rating 5 out of 5]

OH, MY, GOD! Run to the Library, (not now because I have the books) and get these books because when I was at there and I read to page 62 or 65. This book was really long (easy read) but I read it in a day! Great book!

[Brooke · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was pretty funny. My only problem was with the thought that the dog would get returned to the shelter if it didn't pass obedience class. But it's a kids book....

[Melissa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thanks to the @kidlitexchange network for the review copy of this book - all opinions are my own

From the very first page the reader is immediately drawn into the book through the excitement of the narrator - Junior an enthusiastic dog! "OOOH! You opened the book! You actually opened the book!" Junior speaks to the readers in a conversational tone which creates a fun and engaging vibe. It even uses dog friendly language such as the "food room" and "moving people boxes on wheels" which adds to the feel of the story being told by a dog.

Follow along on Junior's humorous journey of being rescued by Rafe and their adventures together such as avoiding the terrifying monster - the vacuum! Junior gets into some trouble and Mrs. Stricker threatens to send him to the pound unless he goes to obedience school. As you can imagine, more fun mishaps ensue!

James Patterson has an amazing ability to write books for adults that they can't put down, and he has now mastered that ability with kids as well. He states the goal of the "Jimmy" book series is to make books kids will love and have them saying "please give me another book." This is an accomplishment he has definitely achieved as I know my reluctant readers won't be able to put down "Dog Diaries" and will be wanting to read more of these books!

[Kelly · Rating 5 out of 5]

@kidlitexchange #Partner: Just because Rafe Khatchadorian's dog is telling the story, doesn't mean dragon ladies won't breathe fire and crazy pranks won't be appropriate, of course.

DOG DIARIES opens (dare I say appropriately) with a polite butt sniff introducing us to the loveable though slightly emotionally bruised Junior, the last mutt standing in his pack at the Hills Village Dog Shelter.

Fortunately, Junior meets a boy who smells like junk food and broken rules - none other than the great Rafe Khatchadorian (“Katch-a-doggy-bone”) - who decides to become Junior’s pet human. Hilarity and a comeuppance to a crabby, middle-aged antagonist ensue.

Narrated in the hyper-enthusiastic voice of a canine lifestyle guru who really isn’t judging us for our rainy poop-rooms, DOG DIARIES takes a bit longer than usual to orient the reader in the story per Patterson's usual. However, short chapters, frequent illustrations and graphic texts, excessive pooping in shoes, and wacky/absurdist action make this a quick and fun read.

On the surface, these are silly books with a bit much potty humor, but the real genius of Patterson/Butler’s character is that others’ perspective (Georgia and now Junior) make Rafe even more human.

Thanks Kidlit Exchange and Little Brown for the ARC, which I received in exchange for an honest review.

[B.J. Burgess · Rating 2 out of 5]

I'm a big James Patterson fan. I even like reading his not-so-great books, which there have many of them lately. His co-written children books are written better than most of his adult crime thrillers! Dog Diaries was one of the books that went under my radar when it was released last year, but the good news for me is that I received it as a Christmas present. Actually, it was the only book I'd received for the holidays.

With some extra time to kill last Saturday afternoon, I read Dog Diaries: A Middle School Story, which is probably the worst entry in the Middle School franchise! There's absolutely no plot! Yes, I know the story is told from a dog's point-of-view and the book is aimed for children, but, "Come on!" At least include a small plot in the story!!! The book is mostly a bunch of unfunny jokes and gags that makes the dog Junior look very unintelligent. The only saving grace is the fun illustrations!

Overall, Dog Diaries: A Middle School Story is horribly-written children's book. Sure, the idea of having a spinoff about Rafe's dog sounds like a great idea, but it's poorly executed. If you're a dog lover, then maybe you'll get a kick out of reading about Junior. However, everyone else should stay clear of this mess!

[Courtenay · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the first in the Dog Diaries series by Patterson and Steven Butler, but a spinoff of the popular Rafe Katchadorian Middle School series, told from Junior's (the dog's) perspective. I found this book light on spine/story, but I enjoyed the humor and illustrations (c'mon, why doesn't Richard Watson, illustrator, have his name on the cover? Give credit where it's due!) Ruff Catch-a-Doggy-Bone is back as Junior's own pet human, and in short, Junior has behavioral issues that need addressing. The reading level felt like upper elementary school (grades 3-5) instead of middle school, perhaps the authors are targeting reluctant readers. Much simpler than the rest in the Rafe middle school series. If you want a light no-brainer, a very quick read, this is your book.

[Leslie Sachlis · Rating 2 out of 5]

A book told from the perspective of an animal appeals to me. Some of the "dogie" descriptions of what we humans call things, i.e. picture box (television) or food room (kitchen) were interesting. As I listened to this book as an Audio-book it occurred to me that I may be missing some of the humor. It may be funnier if you can see the illustrations. I think that fans of Big Nate, Diary of a Wimpy Kid, and Dog Man will enjoy this book. It is listed as book one of a series. I have issues with some of the dog information. If you can tune into the humor, it makes a light quick read. Otherwise it is disappointing.

[Angela · Rating 3 out of 5]

The main conflicts of the book don't make sense (why would the animal shelter require an owner to return a dog that fails obedience class?, why would a dog trainer's dog - who won grand champion in previous years - be able to enter the basic beginner's category?) Plus Junior seems like kind of a jerk. I suffered through the audiobook (I didn't see the illustrations til afterwards - so maybe I would have liked it better with those?). My 7- and 10-year-old read the book and thought the dog was funny (I've added a star on their behalf.)

[Melly · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very fun book and I liked it like most James Patterson book😃😃

[I _teach_muggles · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you have ever wondered what the world is like through the eyes of a dog then this is the book for you. This is the story of Junior and his pet human Rafe (better known as Ruff). You may think that a dog’s life is simple, but Junior is here to tell you that there is a lot more to it than just sleeping, tummy tickles and eating bones…

Junior's life is pretty miserable in the pooch prison at Hills Village Dog Shelter but then he gets chosen by an actual human and everything changes. He has himself a pet human and life has never been better. But life is never straightforward and an incident at the park threatens to put him back in pooch prison unless he can become the village’s most obedient dog…

This a laugh-out-loud read (that would have my tail-wagging frantically if I had one) from the awesome Steven Butler and James Patterson. Dog lovers will totally relate to and delight in the wonderful bond that Junior and Rafe share. The fast-paced-story is hilarious as Junior makes wonderful observations at the strange things that the humans around him do and Butler has included a plethora of pooch puns and doggie jokes.

The loveable and mischievous Junior just can’t help getting into a spot of bother. And it is this ‘quality’ that sees him attend a dog obedience class to try and change his ways. But what is it they say about trying to teach an old dog new tricks…I’m not exactly sure of Junior’s age but I do know that he knows a lot of tricks, none of which have been taught at obedience classes. Junior is the kind of dog that I would definitely want to own, or perhaps that should be I would love to be Junior’s pet human. Junior provides fascinating and humorous insights into walks in the park, the perils of the vacuum cleaner, the worst word in the world and the best place to hide your snacks amongst plenty of other things.

The story is told through Junior’s eyes in the form of short diary extracts that are broken into days of the week and time, and this style makes it a great book for those children who are new to longer chapter books. Lots of cartoon style illustrations feature throughout, my favourites being the ones that show all the different rooms in the human’s kennel; The Rainy Poop Room, The Food Room and The Picture Box Room are genius ideas for the names of rooms within a house.

Added extras at the end include a word search, a dot-to-dot and a spot the difference. If you want to practice your ‘doglish’ there is page full of translations from ‘peoplish’ to get you talking paw-fect ‘doglish’.

This is the first in the series of Dog Diaries so if you this is the paw-fect read for you then be sure to check out another of Junior’s diaries.

Recommended for 6+.

[Tami · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed several of the books in the Middle School series written by James Patterson & Chris Tebbetts featuring Rafe Khatchadorian (which now includes 11 books). Dog Diaries is a newer "spinoff" series featuring Rafe's dog, Junior. The first book in the series introduces us to Junior from his perspective, beginning with the first time he meets his pet-human (Rafe).

Junior's style is what you would expect. He's rambunctious and impulsive, and (like most dogs and young humans) is 100% into whatever he's currently doing--regardless of whether that's chewing, eating, running, enjoying a belly rub or hiding from someone who called him "Bad Dog." Junior has his own terms for people, places and things that humans refer to differently--for instance, he believes Rafe Khatchadorian's name is Ruff Catch-A-Doggy-Bone...the perfect name for his pet-human! It's not too hard to figure out what Junior is talking about and if you are confused, there is a "How to speak Doglish" glossary page at the back of the book.

The plot is basically that Junior is not very well behaved and causes an uproar at the dog park that catches the attention of Iona Stricker, a Dog Obedience Trainer who just happens to be the niece of Rafe's Middle School nemesis, Principal Ida Stricker. Appalled by Junior's behavior and Rafe's inability to control him, Iona Stricker threatens to report Junior to the police and have him taken away if Rafe doesn't enroll him in Dog Obedience Training immediately. Dog Obedience Training goes about as well as you might expect and everything comes down to a last-ditch effort to win the Basic Beginners category at the Dandy-Dog Show with just one week to prepare. It's predictable, but skillfully written.

The last third of the book is a fitting finale Junior's silly, light-hearted, melodramatic narrative. This book is pure fun from beginning to end. There are more poop/pee jokes in it than I personally care for--but they seem just about right for 7-9 year-olds. I could see my kids enjoying this one at that age as both an independent and a read-aloud choice. If you're looking for something light and fun--added bonus if you have a young reader who loves dogs--then Dog Diaries is a great series to check out. This is also a great series for young readers to use as a springboard into series like Jeff Kinney's Diary of a Wimpy Kid, Liz Pichon's Tom Gates and Patterson's Middle School.

[Tara Strosnider · Rating 5 out of 5]

Here's MIDDLE SCHOOL for young readers--through the eyes of Rafe Khatchadorian's misbehaving mutt, Junior! When rule-breaking Rafe has to train his new dog in obedience school, you know things are about to get really ruff!



Oh boy, oh boy, oh boy! I've been waiting for ages to tell my story, and now it's finally happening! Being Rafe's dog isn't always easy, but it is always EXCITING! I've got so much to tell you about:
-How I protect the yard from birds, raccoons, squirrels, raccoons, mail carriers...and did I mention RACCOONS?
-Sniffing pooch posteriors for the latest canine news.
-And the terrifying monster hiding in the hall closet: the vacuum cleaner!


These were all the most paw-some parts of my doggie life--until the evil Mrs. Stricker threatened to send me back to the pound if I didn't learn to behave. Now Rafe and I have to go to obedience school and win the trophy for Best Trained Dog...or else!

Love how this was told through the eyes of a dog it was so cute. Mrs. Stricker was such a b**** from the beginning I wanted to reach through the book and smack her she totally got what she deserved at the end of the book.

Loved this book can't wait to read more about junior the dog

[D'ale lui Damian · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jurnalul unui câine poznaș-James Patterson

Daca sunteți mari iubitori de câini și sunteți în căutarea unei cărți HAMuzante și să porniti într-o aventură HAMtastică alături de Junior, atunci această carte este potrivită.

Cea mai recentă carte citită lui Damian, și cea mai nouă recomandare către copiii dumneavoastră, o carte care a stârnit hohote de râs, până la lacrimi.

Damian s-a amuzat copios datorită exprimării câinelui, deoarece cartea este narata din perspectiva lui...despre cum se vede lumea înconjurătoare prin ochii lui de câine .

Junior este luat dintr-un adăpost de câini și ajunge în "haita PrindOSU" sau "cotețul PrindOSU, lângă: Saint-Bunica, Doamna-Mamă, Fălcuțe-Georgia și MariHAM.

Vă atașez câteva imagini, edificatoare zic eu, în care Junior ne prezintă fiecare cameră din coteț, precum si temerile lui "

✍️" Pândind în umbra din haine și cizmele de iarnă se află un monstru care petele dalmatienilor să se albească de teroare. Este dușmanul meu suprem, care mi-a înghițit unele dintre cele mai prețioase comori. În interiorul debaralei morții sălășluiește...."

Ei bine, trebuie să citiți și să descoperiți peripețiile prin care a trecut Junior.

La sfârșitul acestei cărți, se găsesc câteva jocuri: de unire a punctelor, de căutare a cuvintelor

[Kevin Long · Rating 1 out of 5]

I think James Patterson needs to stop writing for quantity and start writing for quality again. Since he started writing 20 + books a year the quality has gone way down. The stores are lacking substance. There is no plot to half of them, and they all have the same story line. There is no difference in stories anymore. Plus you can tell he’s not writing the books anymore. That he’s just taking credit for what others write and helping them getting their name out there. Which is the only good thing he’s doing. Because he sure isn’t writing anything good anymore. It’s a shame I used to enjoy when his new books came out. Now it’s a joke because he’s putting so many worthless books out today, just because he had already made a name for himself. I am phasing out of his books because of this, and looking for new authors that have something original to say, and actually write their own books!

[Alyson · Rating 2 out of 5]

Eh. I might have rounded up, since I'm neither an elementary school boy nor a dog lover, but ultimately, some of the important plot points weren't actually things that would happen, and that just made me think of something my hubby said at one of my son's basketball games. He said reffing that age is especially hard because while you really can't call traveling every single time on the kid that's trying and just learning and messing up a lot, you should call it on the kids who are good enough to know better; otherwise the good kids are tempted to get sloppy. Yeah, the target audience here might believe that things work that way, but why not take the time to be (more or less) accurate about how things work instead? Spend a little more time on plot points that make sense? It just felt--sloppy.

[Eve L-A Witherington · Rating 4 out of 5]

When Junior gets adopted by Ruff and his family he's overjoyed especially to have a human pet and reunite with his fellow dog shelter pals when in the park too.



After an incident in the park he finds himself and Ruff having to take dog obedience classes with Stricker a woman with a perfectly trained show poodle and Ruff and Junior are determined to beat her at all costs, can they succeed?



I love a book about animals but Junior is a unique character more like a human with how the tone of his characters voice comes through the book. There are some great pun filled sentences and clever plays on words too. I enjoyed the obedience lesson aspect part of the book too as Junior goes up against a stuck up poodle and proves having fun can be the best not coming first.

[Diana Flores]

I'm not the intended audience for the book, so I won't rate. Personally, it wasn't a book I enjoyed. Maybe because I work at an animal rescue, and the shelter in the book was portrayed as dog jail, and the boy in the story was threatened to have his dog taken away if it didn't behave perfectly.

🤔 Maybe I'm too sensitive, but it just wasn't the story I was looking for. In addition, the pace was very frantic. I get it- it's a dog writing the story and dogs are happy and excitable - but it was a little "too much."

Wasn't the book for me, but I'd be curious what an upper elementary or middle school reader would think.

[Pam · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received a free copy from the Goodreads giveaway.
Mid-elementary to lower middle school readers will relate to the humor and story line.
The entire book is narrated by the dog. He shares his diary with the reader to describe his life.
Plenty of adventures as he learns the rules and trains his person.
Illustrations are delightful and capture the playfulness of the story.
Diary entries move the story along and let the reader fill in the rest of the adventure.
Will definitely be purchasing for our school library.

[Carissa · Rating 5 out of 5]

From the viewpoint of a kid, this is a 5 star book I would have loved at that age! I still do as an adult, but in comparison to the other books I enjoy now as an adult, it doesn't hit the 5 stars! My age shouldn't matter in my rating though when I'm evaluating from the idea of how kids think. Patterson is hilarious with great puns. I love the perspective coming from the dog, and all the unique word play. Interesting to read how a dog might view the world and not understand why humans are the way they are. Fun read for those "I dont feel like adulting today" days!

[Donna Gordon · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a very entertaining book for young readers as well as myself. It is written from a dog's point of view to explain his life to kids. Junior discribes his life in the slammer (the shelter). Junior tells how he adopted Rafe which is the young boy who adopted him. Junior tells the story as if Rafe is his pet and not the other way around. He doesnt understand when people say he is a bad dog when he is trying to do good by chasing off raccoons from the park (but in the process caused havoc.)

I think kids will enjoy reading this because it sheds light in how animals might think.