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Spike
Recounts how a farm family's pet wolf became a local hero
191 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1996
5 people are currently reading
61 people want to read
About the author
Dave Sargent
436 books16 followersDave Sargent is a published author of children's books. Dave and his wife Pat are from Prairie Grove, Arkansas and have written over 400 books. Some of their book series include: Saddle Up, stories about horses, Animal Pride, a series about a variety of animals, Feather Tales, stories about birds, and Learn To Read, books containing sight words.
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
October 9, 2014
I remember being in third or fourth grade and picking up this book at my school library. As a kid, I was always drawn to books about heroic animals, and that still stands true today. I also enjoyed reading books by Dave and Pat Sargent, as they are self-published authors from my home state. I remember them coming to visit my school once or twice.
Imagine my delight upon rediscovering this book at our local public library! I obviously had to reread it for nostalgic reasons. I found, as I usually do when rereading childhood books, that I did not enjoy it as much as I did before.
I know this book is fiction and is intended for children, but the plot is very repetitive and hard to believe at times. Dave has a very "first I did this, and then I did that, and then I did this" type of writing style. If you read this book, I challenge you to count the number of times the main character does his "chores."
I had a few other issues with this novel. One of which is relevant to the time period, since this story takes place in the 1930s. Dave seems to make sure he draws a defining line between mens' work and women's work, as he always makes an effort to point out that the women make all the meals and clean and stay in the house. (Gag)
There were plot inconsistencies caused by extremely fast passage of time. At the top of a page it is winter of one year, and by the bottom it is already the winter of the next year. Also, I believe it was mentioned that a huge boulder fell on this little boy's legs during a rockslide, but apparenly he was unscathed, as all the children escaped the cave alive and well, other than being starved for 6 days.
Spike's actions at times were hard to believe, though that is to be expected within a childrens' novel about animals. Spike seemed to be able to understand what humans said to him and what they thought. Also, the ending didn't seem to do Spike much justice. The conclusion went from 60-0, so to speak.
Despite these few annoyances, "Spike, The Black Wolf" will remain as one of my MANY favorite childhood reads. I recommend it to kids of all ages and to any adults who like fictional books about animal heros, or repetitive writing style!
Imagine my delight upon rediscovering this book at our local public library! I obviously had to reread it for nostalgic reasons. I found, as I usually do when rereading childhood books, that I did not enjoy it as much as I did before.
I know this book is fiction and is intended for children, but the plot is very repetitive and hard to believe at times. Dave has a very "first I did this, and then I did that, and then I did this" type of writing style. If you read this book, I challenge you to count the number of times the main character does his "chores."
I had a few other issues with this novel. One of which is relevant to the time period, since this story takes place in the 1930s. Dave seems to make sure he draws a defining line between mens' work and women's work, as he always makes an effort to point out that the women make all the meals and clean and stay in the house. (Gag)
There were plot inconsistencies caused by extremely fast passage of time. At the top of a page it is winter of one year, and by the bottom it is already the winter of the next year. Also, I believe it was mentioned that a huge boulder fell on this little boy's legs during a rockslide, but apparenly he was unscathed, as all the children escaped the cave alive and well, other than being starved for 6 days.
Spike's actions at times were hard to believe, though that is to be expected within a childrens' novel about animals. Spike seemed to be able to understand what humans said to him and what they thought. Also, the ending didn't seem to do Spike much justice. The conclusion went from 60-0, so to speak.
Despite these few annoyances, "Spike, The Black Wolf" will remain as one of my MANY favorite childhood reads. I recommend it to kids of all ages and to any adults who like fictional books about animal heros, or repetitive writing style!
February 27, 2021
i read this book for the first time in 4th grade. it was the first book to ever make me feel anything. i remember crying in my bedroom, angry and sad at what had happened. this book is what got me into reading. i will have eternal love for it.
May 17, 2018
Read it when I was a kid and loved it. I've since lost my copy and I don't know if you can even find it in print anymore.
November 22, 2010
the book has a lot of detail and it is sad and happy at the same time!! i love it!!!
Want to read
August 30, 2013I think it is the best book I history.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews