Spring 2019, Wild Readers 5 discussion

I absolutely loved Boys are Dogs written by Leslie Margolis. This realistic fiction novel was so much fun to read. I rarely rave about books but for some reason, this one was so relatable for me! My favorite character by far was obviously Annabelle. There is something about a sarcastic, sassy, young middle-school girl that is engaging. Many girls go through big changes around this age and I liked how in the book Annabelle was experiencing several life changes. On top of being sad from leaving summer camp, changing from an all-girl school to a public school, and having to move to a new home with a new “family member”, she gets a brand new puppy she has to be responsible for. Not that this is a tragic experience for a young girl, but all new changes and things happening can get emotions stirred up! This is exactly why I like Annabelle so much. She is so sassy to her Mom’s new boyfriend and even about the fact that they bribed her with a new puppy. I just found her character very relatable for so many other girls and even myself. I also think the nickname she uses for her mom’s boyfriend is hysterical. I used to act the same way when my mom got a new boyfriend after my parents divorced. Besides Annabelle’s charisma, the book is fun and light-hearted. The correlation and similarities that Annabelle makes between her new puppy and the new boys she has to deal with at school are what makes the book so funny. I love how she uses her dog training book to learn how to communicate with boys. Boys are Dogs can also be an empowering book for young girls. The book is an easy-read and super relatable for young girls or even young adult girls like me because I related it back to my experiences from grade-school. I would absolutely keep this book in my classroom library, but I probably wouldn’t read as a whole class because some might not relate as well as others. Overall, I loved this book and would rate it a 9/10 and recommend it for grade school or middle school ages.