Lake Isle

by Tobi Little Deer

Overview

Tobi is a little dog living happily in New York City until his owner, Ted, leaves him on his family's Vermont farm in a town bordering a beautiful lake where dogs roam free. As Tobi waits and pines by the roadway, he has no way of knowing whether Ted will return. Drawn into the vibrant life of the farm, how well can he adjust to the family's idea of a dog's role and place? While the family struggles with a devastating tragedy, he follows the farm dog Rex into mysteries of the night and ends up lost and alone. On a long odyssey through the back country and around the lake, trailing wondrous animals at his peril, Tobi encounters unforgettable people. This is a story of a dog and a family, enduring, forgiving, loving, during an idyllic time in the history of a town.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781949596007
Publisher:	Tobi Books
Publication date:	02/12/2019
Series:	Tobi Little Deer , #2
Pages:	312
Product dimensions:	5.50(w) x 8.50(h) x 0.70(d)
Age Range:	9 - 12 Years

Table of Contents

Prologue; 1.The Trip North; 2.Family; 3.Settling In--Presentiments; 4.Visiting Marie-Anne; 5.The Mudroom; 6.Becoming Second Farm Dog; 7.Fetching the Cows; 8.Night Journey; 9.A Determining Event; 10.Memere; 11.Chasing Deer; 12.Maurice and Arthur; 13.First Night and Days; 14.The Road Into the Woods; 15.A Pretty Good Home; 16.The Road to Boisvert; 17.Hardwood and the Coydog; 18.Mrs.Byrd; 19.Given Away; 20.Hunters, Dogsledding, and Snowmobiles; 21.Company; 22.The Grief of Losses; 23.Building Fence; 24.Along the Tracks; 25.The Blacksmith's Yard; 26.Wandering the Town; 27.Sunday Church; 28.A Deep Hole; 29.Transitions and Unraveling; 30.Where's Rex? 31.Wedding Days, Moving Days; 32.Rides and Reminiscence; 33.The Seventeen Acres; 34.Departure; Epilogue.

Editorial Reviews

2019-02-07

A small city dog, lost in the rugged backcountry of Vermont, relates his eventful struggle to find his way home.

In the same league as Ann M. Martin's touching novel A Dog's Life, this beautifully observant story, told from the point of view of a bighearted Chihuahua, will stay with canine-loving readers long after the tale is finished. A sequel to the New York-based Little Deer's (Little Tramp, 2014) first book—both inspired by his real-life dog companion—the YA novel begins when the Chihuahua is uprooted from his contented life in a New York City apartment. The dog, named Tobi, travels with his beloved human, Ted, to northern Vermont for a summer on the family farm. Tobi is confused and bereft when one day Ted is gone, unaware that he will be traveling and can't take the canine along. Ted's gruff dad doesn't help, banning Tobi from the house and forcing him to share farm dog Rex's quarters. A tragic loss and other incidents periodically bring Ted back, but he always leaves Tobi behind when he departs again. The pooch suffers but gradually adjusts, finding comfort with gentle Rex and Ted's grandmother until, caught up in the thrill of a dog pack's wild deer hunt, he is lost in the woods. Danger, refuge, companionship, and a hint of uncanny mystery follow as Tobi encounters memorable animals and people during his monthslong ordeal. Tobi's internal dialogue (he doesn't speak with other animals) has a compelling authenticity, encompassing eloquent ponderings about the bond between humans and dogs, canine devotion, and forgiveness—and the awakening of his own ancestral memory. Driven to join in the howls of a pack of Native American sled dogs one night, he observes: "I was carried into timeless moonlit wilderness, and I, too, became a wild thing." The novel's rural, woodsy, and lakeside setting, described from Tobi's perspective, is vividly detailed in sights, sounds, and smells. Little Deer (a pen name) seamlessly connects the intersecting stories of all his well-drawn characters, both human and animal, with a poignant thread—keep the tissues handy.

Delivering suspenseful storytelling, colorful and believable characters, and a deeply moving tribute to canine loyalty, this tale should resonate with dog lovers of any age.

Kirkus Reviews

“This beautifully observant story . . . has a compelling authenticity, encompassing eloquent ponderings about the bond between humans and dogs, canine devotion and forgiveness—and the awakening of ancestral memory. . . . Delivering suspenseful storytelling, colorful and believable characters, and a deeply moving tribute to canine loyalty, this tale should resonate with dog lovers of any age.” --Kirkus Reviews Click for entire review

"This wonderful book features the adventures of a thoughtful little dog whose perceptive observations . . . are touching and poignant. . . . suitable for all ages." –I.P.Vt. Historical Society review

"An utterly charming and inherently entertaining read from first page to last . . . that will linger fondly in the mind and memory long after the book itself has been finished and set back upon the shelf.” –Small Press Bookwatch Click for entire review

[By a young reader:] “A wonderful story, especially for a person who loves animals.” –Reader Views Kids Click for entire review

From the Publisher