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Stick Dog #12
Stick Dog Comes to Town
Perfect for fans of Big Nate, Diary of a Wimpy Kid, and the previous Stick Dog books, Tom Watson’s hilarious series continues with Stick Dog and his pals after something even more exciting than Santa Claus!
Weird things are happening in Stick Dog’s snow-covered neighborhood. Strangely shaped pinecones hang from trees. Humans sing merry songs all over town. And an odd man is making a list and checking it twice.
Mutt, Karen, Stripes, and Poo-Poo have tons of questions. And for the first time, Stick Dog doesn’t have answers. But their good friend Lucy does.
So when the dogs learn all about Santa Claus, their hilarious quest to celebrate the holiday begins.
The bestselling Stick Dog series is perfect for fans of such series as The Last Kids on Earth, Dog Man, Big Nate, Timmy Failure, and Diary of a Wimpy Kid. A favorite of readers ages 6 to 12, both avid and less so, Stick Dog is a winner for those looking for their next funny illustrated middle grade book series.
Other favorites in the series include Stick Dog Wants a Hot Dog, Stick Dog Chases a Pizza, and many more!
Weird things are happening in Stick Dog’s snow-covered neighborhood. Strangely shaped pinecones hang from trees. Humans sing merry songs all over town. And an odd man is making a list and checking it twice.
Mutt, Karen, Stripes, and Poo-Poo have tons of questions. And for the first time, Stick Dog doesn’t have answers. But their good friend Lucy does.
So when the dogs learn all about Santa Claus, their hilarious quest to celebrate the holiday begins.
The bestselling Stick Dog series is perfect for fans of such series as The Last Kids on Earth, Dog Man, Big Nate, Timmy Failure, and Diary of a Wimpy Kid. A favorite of readers ages 6 to 12, both avid and less so, Stick Dog is a winner for those looking for their next funny illustrated middle grade book series.
Other favorites in the series include Stick Dog Wants a Hot Dog, Stick Dog Chases a Pizza, and many more!
221 pages, Kindle Edition
Published September 14, 2021
32 people are currently reading
77 people want to read
About the author
Tom Watson
38 books151 followersTom is the author and draws the original sketches for all the Stick Dog stories. He lives in Chicago with his wife, daughter and son. They also have a dog named Shadow. Tom did not want to name the dog Shadow. He wanted to name him ‘Put Your Shirt On.’ It’s a long story. Sometimes when Tom is visiting schools, he shares the story.
Tom’s first jobs out of college were in politics. He worked for U.S. Senator John Glenn and as the Chief Speechwriter for the Governor of Ohio. He has also worked in marketing and advertising. He likes writing books for kids a lot more than writing speeches and other things for grown-ups. He thinks kids are way smarter than grown-ups.
He LOVES writing the Stick Dog adventures.
Tom’s first jobs out of college were in politics. He worked for U.S. Senator John Glenn and as the Chief Speechwriter for the Governor of Ohio. He has also worked in marketing and advertising. He likes writing books for kids a lot more than writing speeches and other things for grown-ups. He thinks kids are way smarter than grown-ups.
He LOVES writing the Stick Dog adventures.
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
December 13, 2021
i was maybe twelve years old when i read the first book in this series, and i am very pleased to know that the author has continued to write it. the characters are funny and charming, and i can appreciate the humor of the books even at twenty-one. with each book, the group of dogs set out on a mission - usually to find food, although in this one, they attempt to guide santa to the pipe that they live within, once they learn about christmas. stick dog must combat the hilarious idiocy of his friends, and gently find ways to turn down their dumb ideas. i love these books very much <33
October 27, 2024
E ARC provided by the Publisher
It's cold and snowy, and the dogs are having trouble staying warm in their pipe, and also having trouble finding food. While Stick Dog now feels that he is able to get occasionall assistance from Lucy, the German shepherd at Mike's Magnificent Meats, he prefers that he and his friends manage to take care of themselves. Luckily, Karen comes back with a report of odd pine cones on a tree in town, and the group takes off to investigate. They find that the objects hanging from trees are minty (like plants near the pipe) as well as sweet (like the candy they got at Halloween), so start to eat a number of them while staying underneath the tree, where it is cozy. Unfortunately, humans start to gather around the tree, trapping the dogs, but they are able to gather helpful information. They have found candy canes, and also learn a bit about this weird guy named Santa Claus, who spies on people and can't make up his mind whether or not to stay in town. Karen starts to feel unwell after ingesting so much sugar, so the group heads to Mike's to get some other food for her. Lucy obliges by providing some beef jerky, and also gives them more information about Santa and odd human Christmas traditions. They dogs then decide to put up a tree and try to direct Santa to their home with tin foil, putting out boots instead of socks and going to sleep with dreams of beefy goodness dancing in their heads. Will Santa be able to find them?
Stick Dog is a great character who understands humans a bit better than his friends Karen, Poo-Poo, Stripes, and Mutt, and uses his caring nature and intelligence to broaden their experiences and provide them with interesting food. I'm glad that the pack from the pipe is able to experience another holiday, since they had so much fun at Halloween, and their take on some of the more questionable traditions is perfectly reasonable. Lucy, who has a permanent human and more interaction with people, is helpful in shedding light on many features of the season.
The enthusiasm with which the dogs great every challenge is admirable, even if it is misguided. Karen really comes into her own in this book, and isn't just getting hopped up on caffeine or contemplating the nature of rain puddles. She's determined to celebrate Christmas even though she doesn't really understand it. The other dogs help in predictable ways (decorating the tree with objects shaken out of their fur, or deciding to head butt everything), but Karen has many fairly good ideas in this installment, even though it is Stick Dog's ingenuity that makes things happen. The dogs at an Easter egg hunt could be hysterical, and I know there are supposed to be three more books.
Stick Dog books makes most readers happy, unless their souls are dead, and are a particular favorite with stressed eighth graders and those who enjoy Pichon's Tom Gates books, Falatko's Two Dogs in a Trenchcoat, or Selfors' Wedgie and Gizmo. I would definitely be giving these as gifts if I had small or medium sized children in my life, and they lend themselves to great themed packages; this one begs to be given with some candy canes!
If you haven't read any of these, start now!
It's cold and snowy, and the dogs are having trouble staying warm in their pipe, and also having trouble finding food. While Stick Dog now feels that he is able to get occasionall assistance from Lucy, the German shepherd at Mike's Magnificent Meats, he prefers that he and his friends manage to take care of themselves. Luckily, Karen comes back with a report of odd pine cones on a tree in town, and the group takes off to investigate. They find that the objects hanging from trees are minty (like plants near the pipe) as well as sweet (like the candy they got at Halloween), so start to eat a number of them while staying underneath the tree, where it is cozy. Unfortunately, humans start to gather around the tree, trapping the dogs, but they are able to gather helpful information. They have found candy canes, and also learn a bit about this weird guy named Santa Claus, who spies on people and can't make up his mind whether or not to stay in town. Karen starts to feel unwell after ingesting so much sugar, so the group heads to Mike's to get some other food for her. Lucy obliges by providing some beef jerky, and also gives them more information about Santa and odd human Christmas traditions. They dogs then decide to put up a tree and try to direct Santa to their home with tin foil, putting out boots instead of socks and going to sleep with dreams of beefy goodness dancing in their heads. Will Santa be able to find them?
Stick Dog is a great character who understands humans a bit better than his friends Karen, Poo-Poo, Stripes, and Mutt, and uses his caring nature and intelligence to broaden their experiences and provide them with interesting food. I'm glad that the pack from the pipe is able to experience another holiday, since they had so much fun at Halloween, and their take on some of the more questionable traditions is perfectly reasonable. Lucy, who has a permanent human and more interaction with people, is helpful in shedding light on many features of the season.
The enthusiasm with which the dogs great every challenge is admirable, even if it is misguided. Karen really comes into her own in this book, and isn't just getting hopped up on caffeine or contemplating the nature of rain puddles. She's determined to celebrate Christmas even though she doesn't really understand it. The other dogs help in predictable ways (decorating the tree with objects shaken out of their fur, or deciding to head butt everything), but Karen has many fairly good ideas in this installment, even though it is Stick Dog's ingenuity that makes things happen. The dogs at an Easter egg hunt could be hysterical, and I know there are supposed to be three more books.
Stick Dog books makes most readers happy, unless their souls are dead, and are a particular favorite with stressed eighth graders and those who enjoy Pichon's Tom Gates books, Falatko's Two Dogs in a Trenchcoat, or Selfors' Wedgie and Gizmo. I would definitely be giving these as gifts if I had small or medium sized children in my life, and they lend themselves to great themed packages; this one begs to be given with some candy canes!
If you haven't read any of these, start now!
December 3, 2023
A very good Christmas 'tale'.
So sad that this is the last book of the Stick Dog series.
Please, write more, Tom Watson!!!
So sad that this is the last book of the Stick Dog series.
Please, write more, Tom Watson!!!
July 26, 2022
Stick Dog and his gang discover a “magical” tree with the sweetest pinecones they’ve ever seen. This discovery leads them to learn a few things about the human holiday called Christmas and this suspicious character, Santa Claus, who keeps coming to town and making judgements of whether people are good or not. Lucy, Stick Dog’s special friend who lives with the butcher, knows more about the human holiday and clarifies somethings for the gang leading them to try out some of the Christmas traditions themselves and see if Santa will visit them. But will Santa really come?
I totally admire Stick Dog’s immense patience and kindness with his friends who aren’t the smartest dogs around. He intentionally words his responses to them to show respect and not humiliate them. The group also displays great team work with some creative problem solving. This is a great book for those who want to keep the magic of Santa alive.
I totally admire Stick Dog’s immense patience and kindness with his friends who aren’t the smartest dogs around. He intentionally words his responses to them to show respect and not humiliate them. The group also displays great team work with some creative problem solving. This is a great book for those who want to keep the magic of Santa alive.
July 29, 2022
Delightful.
August 14, 2024
so cute. i’m glad the dogs had a good christmas
May 1, 2025
A cute episode in the Stick Dog series. I enjoyed reading about Stick Dog and his buddies learning about Christmas. The plot was cute, and the antics were funny. My students would enjoy reading this.
June 18, 2025
Very good book the end was great
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews