The Junkyard Dog

by Erika Tamar

A moving middle-grade novel about a girl's struggle to save the life of a starving junkyard dog comes to Knopf Paperbacks .  In a starred review, Publishers Weekly said, "Tamar produces a tough-edged but tender story. ...Besides conveying a strong message about neglectful pet owners, she deftly introduces a range of issues affecting her heroine...the happy ending to her story is one sure to satisfy readers."  

Genres: Animals, Childrens, Fiction, Middle Grade, Dogs, Juvenile, Realistic Fiction

192 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1995

About the author

Erika Tamar is the award-winning author of nineteen books for children, including The Junkyard Dog, winner of the California Young Reader Medal and the Virginia Young Readers Award, and The Midnight Train Home, winner of the Western Writers of America Spur Award for best juvenile fiction.

She was born in Vienna, Austria. In 1939, after witnessing Kristallnacht and suffering under Jewish exclusionary laws, her parents sent her and her brother Henry, ages 4 and 9, away to strangers to save their lives.
They traveled to the U.S. in June 1939 as two of fifty children personally rescued by Jewish Philadelphians Gilbert and Eleanor Kraus, a rescue effort featured in the HBO documentary film and book, 50 Children, by Steven Pressman, and supported by documents housed in the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington, D.C.
By late August, they were adopted by a foster family and traveled to Houston, Texas, until her parents, Dr. Julius and Pauline Tamar, arrived in New York in November 1939, at which point they were reunited.
Erika tells this story herself in an oral history on video housed at the USHMM.

A lifelong New Yorker, Erika grew up in Washington Heights in Manhattan as the daughter of the neighborhood physician and graduated from the Bronx High School of Science.

Reviews

[Stephanie Fitzgerald · Rating 3 out of 5]

Katie feels so sorry for the poor dog stuck behind the fence at the junkyard. She wants to help feed and care for “Lucky”, but her mother and stepfather have decreed that she must use her own money and that she must have permission from the grumpy junkyard owner to do so. Katie is especially worried about how Lucky will survive the harsh winter without shelter.

[Marla · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very good book that handled some difficult subjects and taught some great lessons: if you want something bad enough, then you need to ask; you should speak up for your friends; you shouldn't put other people down to build yourself up; you don't have to flirt and wear makeup to get a boy's attention; you need to keep your word and commitments; girls can do carpentry; you need to give step parents a chance; you shouldn't make assumptions about people; you need to be safe and not take risks with your safety; you can work hard and get yourself out of poverty; you can make a difference to one animal and projects go faster with help.

[Danielle · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great book! For smaller kids, tohugh!

[Sparrow · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've read this book over and over again - too many times to count. I loved it so much. I just have a thing for animals ;P

[Shelley · Rating 5 out of 5]

In this story Katie finds a dog that is neglected and possibly physically abused. The dog is thin, his fur is nasty, he has no dog food bowl or water bowl and no shelter from the elements or kids throwing rocks or things at the dog. Katie decides to help the dog by giving him extra food from dinners. Another big part of the story is that Katie hates or resents her step-father Jim Grady. So as Katie gains the responsibility of taking care of Lucky (the name she gives him), she gets closer to Jim because he grew up on a farm and had a dog, so he can relate to her. Jim teaches Katie to stand up to the owner of the junkyard, where the dog is, to be able to get permission to feed Lucky and eventually build him a doghouse. As she works hard on taking care of Lucky, she also gets to see a boy, Daniel, her classmate in a different light as he helps throw scraps from his dad’s meat/butcher store.

As the story goes on, Katie matures as she takes on the care of Lucky and gets closer to Jim as he teaches her carpentry to make the doghouse. Maybe there is more to Jim and Daniel that meets the eye!

I loved this story as a kid! I love dogs so this story was right up my alley. I love how Katie matures and realizes these men in her life aren’t so bad. The story is simple and fun to read, even reading it again as an adult!

I would recommend this book at a 4-6th grade reading level or to adults who are dog lovers.

[Chris Meads · Rating 4 out of 5]

Katie lives in the Projects with her mom and mom's new husband. She's really not happy with the situation. On the way home from school she passes the junkyard and sees some boys tormenting the dog behind the fence. As they finally leave, she goes up to the dog and makes friends, calling him Lucky.

He looks half starved and his coat is a mess. She knows he must be saved from the terrible life he is living, and with the help of her mom's husband and a friend, things change for her and the dog.

This is a cute story with some subtle lessons behind the story. A must read for young people and adults who love dogs.

[Jackie · Rating 3 out of 5]

A sweet story about a young girl, Katie, who is dealing with family and friend issues. Living in the projects, she spies The Junkyard Dog protecting a run-down scrap yard. Her heart goes out to him, sure that he is abused, underfed, and unloved. She starts feeding him scraps, bringing him water, and saying kind words to him.

When her new stepfather finds out, he is there to lend a helping hand to build Lucky a doghouse. And, in doing so, they bond and become a family.

[Shanna · Rating 5 out of 5]

Katie befriends a neglected junkyard dog and improves his life.

This was an adorable story. I enjoyed how the relationships between the characters developed gradually with the occasional bumps along the way. The characters were real and likable, and Katie's problems are relatable. I was engaged by this story from start to finish.

[Amanda Schuman · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was my favorite book as a kid. I read it so many times from my schools library that they eventually told me to just keep it. A telling story of a connection between a child and a dog, who both struggle through troubles at home.

[Lana Kamennof-sine · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good solid book about kindness, independence, ownership (in all senses of the word) & pre-teen angst. Realistic portrayal of family relationships, friendship, poverty and support to learn new things.

[Sumner · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a story of a girl who, in caring for a neglected dog in her neighborhood, learns to be true to herself, accept change, and build relationships with people in her life she had previously written off.

[Jen · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a book that stuck in my memory from childhood, saw it at an used book sale and was so excited. It is obviously for kids, but I still loved it! I do wish we could’ve had an epilogue though. I just wanna make sure he ends up safe!! ;)

[Cheryl · Rating 3 out of 5]

Marla's review says it best, as she summarizes all the great lessons in the book. I just didn't enjoy it quite as much as she did. At least the dog doesn't die! But the ending isn't 100% happy either (though close to it). I recommend it for the target audience if it's in their library.

[Eileen · Rating 3 out of 5]

3½ ☆

I was that weird kid in elementary school who liked animals more than people so I read every kid/preteen/teen novel where the plot centered around dogs (':

[Tamara Bennett · Rating 4 out of 5]

a girl & story after my own heart. mirrored what i've personally done many times. sweet book to teach empathy.

[Jac · Rating 3 out of 5]

I quite liked this, decent characterization without being complicated. Good kids book

[Leena · Rating 2 out of 5]

My daughter had this book assigned to her in 3rd grade. I found the material to be a bit over her head for her age.... talk about "men who make babies and then leave" like the main character's bio dad, and whether her stepfather would be one of those men. Main character, an 11yr old girl named Katie, begins to lose respect for her mother who she sees as needy of men like Katie's stepfather, who Katie can't stand. She takes a look around her and notes that "anyone can see that men always leave," and her hope is that maybe her stepfather would do so too. This 11yr old girl contemplates why boys don't like her, thinks she may be too fat and "needs to go on a diet, get a makeover," etc. I read on one review that this was a book for "budding feminists," which I strongly object to... because the main character dislikes and distrusts men in general (due to being abandoned by her father) does NOT make her a budding feminist! Interspersed thoughout is the heartwarming story of how she befriends this dog, but the emotional material of her family relationships and her observations about men and women is (IMHO) more suited for a middle-school age kid than a 3rd grader.

[Ivy]

I love dogs and that ia also the reason why this book acttracted me.
It is always hard for me to go through the first chapter and figure out who is who. But this story has a very clear story line and also it doesn't have a lot of complex relationships among characters. That's might be good for kid beacause it is easy for kids to visualize the story.
I like the topic of this book. And I think most kids like dogs too.So this book should be easy for them to get addicted.
The author used a lots of words to describe the interaction and communication between Katie and the dog and it really captured my heart every I read it. Sometimes I can be so moved to cry.
When I was a child, I did exact the same thing as Kaite. Eveytime when we have meat in our meals, I saved some meat to feed two stray dogs in my neighborhood.
So I think maybe it is also good for kids to read some book with their familar content to start.

[Laine Hauge · Rating 4 out of 5]

I would recommend Junkyard Dog to people that dislike junkyard workers and love dogs. Katie sees some boys playing a game by the junkyardand the ball goes over the fence. Lucky (the dog) grabs it comes out of the junkyard gives them the ball and lays off to the side and watches them play. Katie goes home fills a bucket full of water and finds some scraps that she takes back to Lucky. She keeps doing this for a couple of weeks until the junkyard worker yells at her and then she sneeks back gives him a bunch of food, just in case she couldn't come back. Her mom talks with the junkyard guy convinces him to let her have the dog. At the end of the story, he is alot happier than the beginning.

[Ana Margarita Mercedes · Rating 4 out of 5]

''Es una muy conmovedora historia entre una niña y su nuevo amigo animal, quien ella siente es el que mejor la entiende. Aunque, para ser sincera, lo que más me gusta es la relación entre Katie y Jim Grady (su padrastro); en un principio, la niña no se siente cómoda con el nuevo esposo de su madre, pero, increíblemente, el perro del basurero ayuda a que ambos encuentren intereses y actividades en común que llegan a unirlos como familia.''

Para leer la reseña completa:
http://escribiendoellibrodelavida.blo...

[Katherine · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think this book may have been read to me in elementary school at some point? I randomly saw a copy in one of those free library cubbies that are scattered throughout Portland and thought I'd see how much of it I actually remembered. It lived up to the memory, and actually now I can see the other parts of the story for the main character's growth better too, the stuff beyond learning carpentry.

[Lanie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pretty good. It's a sweet little story, but more about the girl adjusting to her knew life at home as she gets used to her new step dad & changes in her friends then about the dog. Which was the part I was really looking forward to. :/ nevertheless it was an good book. Simple, but well written with an main character in sure many kids can relate to.

[Jill Johnson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sweet fictional story about a young girl in the projects who discovers a sweet suffering junkyard dog. She names it Lucky and tries to provide for it during the cold winter with dreams of having him as her own someday. It deals with the dynamics of her mother having a new husband, learning to trust that not all men are are the same, and the promise and hope of things getting better.

[Larissam · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought the junkyard dog was a good book. I thought it was kinda sad too. Sad because people didn't treat this dog very nice. I love dogs so this really hurt me. I didn't cry so its that sad. It's a very good book.

[Ashleigh Cutler · Rating 4 out of 5]

My father read this to me when I got sick in 1996 or so, when my mother brought it home from the school library. I never forget the story and finally found a copy - not this cover - in a thrift store. It's a good read for kids and dog lovers, but short due to the age range.

[Margaret · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love this book. It's for young reader and very easy to read. I found it quite touching. Brought a smile to my face. Recommended.

[Amanda C · Rating 2 out of 5]

An ok book. Not very exciting at all!

[Alexis Adkins · Rating 5 out of 5]

this is a sad but good book.

[Lauren Brown · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved this book. I am an animal lover so that is probably why. The girl has a lot of courage standing up for the dog and continueing to take care of it. Great story for working on responsibility.

[Amanda · Rating 3 out of 5]

A cute story about a girl who befriends a junkyard dog and how it changes her life for the better.