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Blaze
A story about a boy and his grandfather and a German Shepherd named Blaze. The boy is an orphan, living with his fussy aunt and uncle. The grandfather lives far away and raises German Shepherds. The grandfather sends the boy a puppy, but the aunt and uncle immediately get rid of it, giving it away to the uncle's co-worker.
A year later, tragedy has struck. The kennel has burned down, killing all the grandfather's dogs. He comes to fetch Blaze, hoping to start the bloodline over again, but finds that the dog has turned savage from abuse and neglect. He takes the dog and goes home, not realizing that the boy has stowed away in the back of his truck.
Together the boy and his grandfather get to know each other and retrain Blaze.
A year later, tragedy has struck. The kennel has burned down, killing all the grandfather's dogs. He comes to fetch Blaze, hoping to start the bloodline over again, but finds that the dog has turned savage from abuse and neglect. He takes the dog and goes home, not realizing that the boy has stowed away in the back of his truck.
Together the boy and his grandfather get to know each other and retrain Blaze.
221 pages, Hardcover
First published January 13, 1981
42 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
July 9, 2021
NOT AN ACCELERATED READERS BOOK!
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Blaze (c.1981) by Robert Somerlott (1928-2001) is apparently out-of-print, so if you run across a used copy, you might want to pick it up. It must be a little known novel for young readers, 7th -9th graders, as there are only 52 ratings on Goodreads. I blindly picked up my copy "free" at a second-hand bookstore during a buy one, get one free sale. It’s definitely worth handing down to one of my grandsons.
Somerlott is an amazing and very visual writer! Where most books might read a little slow until you get to know the characters, this story was interesting from the get-go.
Ten year old David, who just lost his parents in an automobile accident, is not sure where he now fits into this world and is very lonely. He is being raised by his aunt and uncle who don’t quite seem up to the job and is sending him away to a camp for the summer so they can get some alone time.
Then there’s Cappy, David’s grandfather (father of his aunt), a retired U.S. Marine who used to raise and train German Shepherds for the military, search and rescue and for the blind. His love of animals is so great in this story that it just flows right straight through to you. He gave David a young pup after his parents died but his aunt and uncle didn’t want to be bothered with a dog, plus their apartment wouldn’t allow pets. So, they gave the dog away to an owner who ended up being abusive and kept him on chains.
I love how the story tells you, from the dog’s point-of-view, how he developed into this mean and vicious dog. When Cappy found out the conditions Blaze was living in, he went to pick him up. Blaze was one of the pups he had given away a year earlier to David before he lost 12 others in a barn fire. Cappy was still having a hard time dealing with this.
Cappy, David and the dog, Blaze, work through each other's lives developing trust and a bond and eventually learning to love again. The story is full of real-life adventures and lessons in loyalty and love, and to-date, is one of the best animal stories I have read.
--------------------
Blaze (c.1981) by Robert Somerlott (1928-2001) is apparently out-of-print, so if you run across a used copy, you might want to pick it up. It must be a little known novel for young readers, 7th -9th graders, as there are only 52 ratings on Goodreads. I blindly picked up my copy "free" at a second-hand bookstore during a buy one, get one free sale. It’s definitely worth handing down to one of my grandsons.
Somerlott is an amazing and very visual writer! Where most books might read a little slow until you get to know the characters, this story was interesting from the get-go.
Ten year old David, who just lost his parents in an automobile accident, is not sure where he now fits into this world and is very lonely. He is being raised by his aunt and uncle who don’t quite seem up to the job and is sending him away to a camp for the summer so they can get some alone time.
Then there’s Cappy, David’s grandfather (father of his aunt), a retired U.S. Marine who used to raise and train German Shepherds for the military, search and rescue and for the blind. His love of animals is so great in this story that it just flows right straight through to you. He gave David a young pup after his parents died but his aunt and uncle didn’t want to be bothered with a dog, plus their apartment wouldn’t allow pets. So, they gave the dog away to an owner who ended up being abusive and kept him on chains.
I love how the story tells you, from the dog’s point-of-view, how he developed into this mean and vicious dog. When Cappy found out the conditions Blaze was living in, he went to pick him up. Blaze was one of the pups he had given away a year earlier to David before he lost 12 others in a barn fire. Cappy was still having a hard time dealing with this.
Cappy, David and the dog, Blaze, work through each other's lives developing trust and a bond and eventually learning to love again. The story is full of real-life adventures and lessons in loyalty and love, and to-date, is one of the best animal stories I have read.
August 28, 2022
Read this book as a kid and loved it. I probably read it a few times, and I still have the copy kicking around somewhere. Something about the way the dog's POV was described reminded me of Jack London books, though it might just be that I read them in a similar time period. Great, solid, descriptive story. It is what it seems like on the tin: a heartwarming story about a dog and a kid bonding while they both try to find their place in the world.
July 21, 2012
Anyone would enjoy this book. The story has rattle snakes, runaways, strychnine and forest fires. And love. Let's not forget love!
Blaze, the wild and vicious dog ruined by abuse and neglect, meets David, a ten-year-old boy who lost his parents in a car accident and learned patience in traction. They belonged together. 'Nuff said. :o)
Blaze, the wild and vicious dog ruined by abuse and neglect, meets David, a ten-year-old boy who lost his parents in a car accident and learned patience in traction. They belonged together. 'Nuff said. :o)
August 5, 2015
A nice cutesy story. The best bit was the bush fire and what went on after that. The only bit I didn't enjoy was the ending. I felt I still wanted to know what happened to the boy, his father, his grandfather and the dog after they got back after the bush fire. It felt unfinished to me. Note: I did read the Reader's Digest Condensed version though so maybe that's why it was cut short?
October 26, 2011
Very good story about a young boy who learns what it means to love a dog, and about his grandfather who learns it's never too late to start over.
The book appears to be out of print.
The book appears to be out of print.
October 4, 2013
Always wanted a German Shepard after I read this as a child.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews