A Boy in the Doghouse

by Betsy Duffey

George loves his new puppy, Lucky, but Lucky is out of control. George has to train him soon, or his parents will take Lucky back to the pound. Lucky has a lot of work to do, too: he has to train George to sleep outside with him, scratch him behind the ears, and feed him his favorite food--ham. Who will win this comic battle of wills?

96 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1991

About the author

Betsy Duffey grew up with a love of reading and writing. Her earliest experience in writing came from reading manuscripts by her mother author and Newbery winner, Betsy Byars. She began writing in 1990 and has published over twenty children’s books, including a number of popular series. Her books have been Junior Library Guild selections, Crown Award nominees, and have been nominated for state awards in over twenty states.
Her latest books are devotional books for adults. She began writing short meditations for friends who were challenged in different ways. More Peace started for a friend undergoing chemotherapy. More Hope for a young friend dealing with infertility. The series continues to grow.
Betsy splits her time between Atlanta and the Georgia mountains. When she is not writing you can probably find her outside hiking in the woods or on the porch in a rocking chair with a good book.

Reviews

[Rachel A. · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was one of my favourite books as a kid, and one that I reread so many times. I loved how it gave Lucky (the puppy)'s perspective as well as his owner's, and I was fascinated by the "dog logic" used to explain each situation. It's a very cute story of a boy who must train his new dog in order to keep it, combined with the dog's understanding of the different scenarios. This is definitely a great book for kids who love animal stories, and one that I still find very cute even as an adult.

[Annie Yang · Rating 3 out of 5]

A quick, mild and fun read. The illustrations are very cute and not too cheesy. Very relatable for children who are still raising their first dogs, which helps with the mystery of what to do with Lucky, as the reader might be thinking of what to do with their own naughty dog. But then again, most of the book would be silliness for children with a dog, at the same time. It was a little odd with some of the watered down lingo with "puddles" for the pee Lucky makes on the floor. Dogs are either outside or inside dogs. But Lucky has a doghouse outside, hence the title, but also makes "puddles" inside. And it's bewildering why the parents would even want a dog when Lucky hasn't even completed his first full week with them yet. Don't they know that taking care of a dog a whole-family responsibility? Dogs, especially puppies aren't trained overnight. If the parents wanted to return Lucky before the week was over due to behavioral problems, they should have gotten an adult dog? The book was silly and unrealistic in those ways, for people who actually have had a dog. But other than that, it was a good book.

[Jill · Rating 4 out of 5]

My rating of this book is based on its appeal to the children with whom I work. Kids at the end of second grade or less strong early third graders enjoy the struggles of a young boy trying to train his new puppy. What I think makes it interesting from an instructional point of view is that alternating chapters are from the child's point of view while the others are in the puppy's voice. This is not a great literary work, but a very enjoyable read with late primary age kids and useful for instructional purposes.

[Christine · Rating 3 out of 5]

My elementary librarian read this to me and I remember liking it. I would recomend it to young children though.

[Cws]

JEAR3-Duf

[Michelle]

Listed as Q4 = Exceptional!, P4 = A book everyone wants to read