Mouse and His Dog: A Dogtown Book

by Katherine Applegate, Gennifer Choldenko, Wallace West (Illustrator)

Overview

Notes From Your Bookseller

Mouse loves dogs, but Mouse is small. In this touching and humorous story of love and affection, this one little mouse will charm your paws off.

An Instant NEW YORK TIMES and Indie Bestseller!

The not-to-be-missed companion to Dogtown, full of friendship and adventure!

Mouse lives in Dogtown, a shelter for real dogs and robot dogs, where the kibble is plentiful, and the rafters hide a secret community of mice. His unlikely best friend is Buster, a big-hearted real dog who attracts trouble like a burr to fur.

Determined to help Buster find his forever home, even if means losing his best pal, Mouse embarks on a bold quest with three of Dogtown’s “unadoptables”: Buster, Stewie—a huge, lovable dog whose ex-owner said he was mean, and Smokey—a robot dog hardwired with a smoke alarm he can’t control.

But Mouse is just a mouse, and the world is big and complicated. How’s a little guy supposed to find homes for the dogs he loves?

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781250345004
Publisher:	Feiwel & Friends
Publication date:	09/17/2024
Series:	Dogtown Series , #2
Pages:	336
Product dimensions:	5.40(w) x 8.10(h) x 1.30(d)
Age Range:	8 - 12 Years

About the Author

Katherine Applegate is the #1 New York Times-bestselling author of beloved and award-winning books for young readers, including Odder, Home of the Brave, Crenshaw, Wishtree, Willodeen, and The One and Only Ivan, for which she won the Newbery Medal. She is also the author of the Animorphs series, and a beginning reader series, Doggo and Pupper, illustrated by Charlie Alder. Katherine Applegate lives in Southern California with her family.

Gennifer Choldenko’s best known Tales from Alcatraz series has been called “A cornerstone series in contemporary children’s literature.” Al Capone Does My Shirts—the first book in the series—was a Newbery Honor Book and the recipient of twenty other awards. All four books in the series were Junior Library Guild selections and garnered many starred reviews. Gennifer lives in the San Francisco Bay area with her loyal husband and naughty dog.

Wallace West is a world explorer spending most of his time on the US East Coast (the rest wherever strikes his fancy). He once foolishly pet a wild alligator and considers a tinned-fish picnic in Norway the best meal he's ever had. By day he writes and illustrates, by night he wonders if he should get a pet snake.

Editorial Reviews

Instant NEW YORK TIMES and Indie Bestseller!

A Junior Library Guild Gold Standard selection

"A relatable, entertaining second entry in a charming series."—Kirkus Reviews

"Fast-moving, funny and philosophical. With short chapters and loose ink drawings, newly independent readers are easily delivered to “happily ever after” but with a reality check." — San Francisco Chronicle, Best Books for Children

Praise for DOGTOWN:

★ "Welcome to Dogtown, a shelter for regular dogs—and robot dogs... Super short chapters, perhaps suggesting a dog’s alleged limited attention span, keep the novel’s pace moving briskly toward a climax sure to please animal lovers despite a few sad moments along the way. West’s grayscale art perfectly captures canine emotion and unbridled energy. "—School Library Journal, starred review

"Newbery Medalist Applegate and Newbery Honoree Choldenko team up for this uplifting escape novel ...Angular b&w line drawings by West highlight the humorously sketched canine cast, while brief chapters that explore species divides promise to captivate anyone who enjoys rooting for a couple of down-on-their-luck dogs getting a second chance."—Publishers Weekly

"The story offers many moments of laughter and reflection, all greatly enhanced by West’s utterly charming grayscale illustrations of irresistible pooches. Eminently readable and appealing; will tug at dog-loving readers’ heartstrings."—Kirkus Reviews

From the Publisher

Daniel Henning zestfully introduces a busy dog shelter's diverse inhabitants. Listeners meet Mouse, who lives there for all the free-flowing kibble but also to befriend and help the most troublesome dogs. Outstanding sound effects, including constant background barking, add atmosphere, as does Mouse's endearing voice and personality. His best buddy, masterfully rendered, is kindly but impulsive Buster, who's frequently returned from potential forever homes. When Mouse learns about "The List," which spells bad news for misbehaving dogs, he's determined to find everyone good homes. Most enjoyable are Mouse's helpers, Saavii, with her appealing Indian accent, and Mr. Molinari, a dedicated teacher whose student group reads to well-behaved dogs. Henning convincingly conveys Mouse's chats about his favorite books and the dogs' improved lives. S.G.B. © AudioFile 2025, Portland, Maine

JANUARY 2025 - AudioFile

2024-08-30
An intrepid mouse tries to help his canine friends find forever homes.

This second visit to the Dogtown animal shelter brings back some familiar furry faces while introducing a new narrative perspective—that of one of the mice residing in the building’s rafters. Mouse enjoys lounging in the basement with the “unadoptable” pups, among them Buster, a “bounceback,” who has been adopted several times but then been returned following a litany of tragicomic mishaps. There’s also Smokey, the robot dog, who (due to an error at the factory) randomly emits a tremendous, misery-inducing smoke alarm sound. Saanvi and Owen, kids from Dogtown’s Reading Buddies program, also find their way to the basement, where they spend time with these exiled animals. Growing mutual affection between the dogs and children leads Mouse to devise an ambitious plan to help the dogs get to the apartment building where Saanvi and Owen live, in pursuit of a happy ending for all involved. The authors thoughtfully portray the growing relationships, and moments of breakneck action culminate in a conclusion that pulls together a dizzying array of moving pieces. Mouse at times feels more like a literary device than an integral member of the Dogtown universe, an element further emphasized by the frequent references to mouse-focused children’s classics. Final art not seen.

A relatable, entertaining second entry in a charming series.(Fiction. 8-12)

Kirkus Reviews