Chester and Gus

by Cammie McGovern

Overview

Critically acclaimed author Cammie McGovern presents a heartwarming and humorous middle grade novel about the remarkable bond that forms between an aspiring service dog and an autistic boy in need of a friend. “Joyful, inspiring, and completely winning, Chester and Gus is unforgettable,” proclaimed Katherine Applegate, #1 New York Times bestselling author of the Newbery Medal winner The One and Only Ivan.

Chester has always wanted to become a service dog. When he fails his certification test, though, it seems like that dream will never come true—until a family adopts him. They want him to be a companion for their ten-year-old son, Gus, who has autism. But Gus acts so differently than anyone Chester has ever met. He never wants to pet Chester, and sometimes he doesn’t even want Chester in the room. Chester’s not sure how to help Gus since this isn’t exactly the job he trained for—but he’s determined to figure it out. Because after all, Gus is now his person.

In the spirit of beloved classics like Because of Winn-Dixie, Shiloh, and Old Yeller, Cammie McGovern’s heartfelt novel—told from Chester’s point of view—explores the extraordinary friendship between a child and a dog with a poignant and modern twist.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780062330697
Publisher:	HarperCollins Publishers
Publication date:	03/13/2018
Pages:	272
Sales rank:	171,674
Product dimensions:	7.50(w) x 5.10(h) x 0.70(d)
Age Range:	8 - 12 Years

About the Author

Cammie McGovern is the author of Say What You Will as well as the adult novels Neighborhood Watch, Eye Contact, and The Art of Seeing. Cammie is also one of the founders of Whole Children, a resource center that runs after-school classes and programs for children with special needs. She lives in Amherst, Massachusetts, with her husband and three children.

Editorial Reviews

Beautifully imagined and deeply affecting, Cammie McGovern’s sensitive portrait of one resilient family and their very special dog demonstrates that the best lives are lived when differences are cherished.

Leslie Connor

Benny’s first-person narrative radiates with exactly the kind of compassion his mother recommends. Like many nine-year-olds, Benny can be guileless in one moment and wise beyond his years in another. Highly recommended for fans of realistic fiction by writers such as Ann M. Martin or Lisa Graff.

ALA Booklist

Praise for JUST MY LUCK: “I loved this portrait of a young boy struggling to find his role in a family determined not to be defined by their differences. Benny’s brave story, told with wry humor, is inspirational.

Ann M. Martin

Praise for SAY WHAT YOU WILL: “Exhilarating and heartrending.This novel is stunning.

ALA Booklist (starred review)

Praise for A STEP TOWARD FALLING: “Universal human emotions and challenges link the characters across boundaries of gender, class, and I.Q. This is a beautiful, big-hearted book with important lessons embedded in compelling stories of two irresistible girls. Expertly executed and movingly realized.

New York Times Book Review

Praise for CHESTER AND GUS: “In this delightful novel, Cammie McGovern has somehow managed to channel, with absolute perfection, the endearing voice of an aspiring service dog named Chester. Joyful, inspiring, and completely winning, Chester and Gus is unforgettable.

Katherine Applegate

The quintessential book about a boy and his dog—perfectly beautiful.

Huffington Post

McGovern’s observations about ordinary-seeming life and about the people around us, about small acts of kindness and healing and forgiveness, are perceptive and thought-provoking.

The Horn Book

01/30/2017
Chester can’t talk; Gus can, sometimes, but it’s hard for him. Can they communicate and trust each other? Chester is a chocolate lab, and Gus is a fifth grader with autism whose family hopes he’ll be more interactive at school with Chester around. Chester may not have passed his service test (he’s skittish around loud noises), but he’s smart enough to know what “his person” needs, and he does a fine and believable job narrating this book. Always attentive to Gus, the boy’s ever-hopeful parents, and the kids and adults at school, Chester shows Gus’s struggle to convey his desires and be more independent. Chester has some similar difficulties, and McGovern (Just My Luck) emphasizes his eagerness and empathy, as well as his limitations: although Chester’s trainer convinces herself that the dog can read, Chester knows that’s silly. Meanwhile, readers can debate how literally to take the idea that Chester does find a way to talk—at least to those who are willing to listen. Whatever they decide, they’ll be charmed by Chester’s warmth and loyalty. Ages 8–12. Agent: Margaret Riley, William Morris Endeavor. (Apr.)

Publishers Weekly

2017-02-01
After his fear of loud noises causes him to fail his service dog training, Chester, a supersmart chocolate Lab, becomes a support dog to Gus, a white 10-year-old boy with nonverbal autism. Chester's relationship with his trainer, who's unprofessionally obsessed with teaching him to read, forecasts the book's central heartache: "I loved her so much, but I don't think that's enough for people to understand what you're trying to say." While narrating his own canine views on family and loneliness, Chester also interprets Gus' often misunderstood behaviors. McGovern frequently parallels boy and dog as both struggle to be understood by those they love, and communication becomes paramount when Chester senses a frightening change in Gus and Gus falls victim to a bully. Gus' gradual, subtle interactions with his classmates ring true and sympathetic. However, Chester and Gus also "think-talk" to each other (and possibly to a motherly Jamaican woman) via telepathy, a device that cheapens their bond as much as it forges it. Though telepathy provides convenient access to Gus' thoughts, interests, and feelings, it also perpetuates tired extrasensory tropes and implies that empathizing with autistic people requires a quasi-magical gift. The ostensibly happy resolution to a plot contrivance requires Gus' misfortune, creating more dissonance than satisfaction. A bittersweet, vexing glimpse of a less-portrayed point on the autism spectrum. (Fiction. 9-13)

Kirkus Reviews

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