Smart Dog

by Vivian Vande Velde

Overview

Amy Prochenko is only in fifth grade, but she already has a sixth grader's problems: She is wildly unpopular, she is the target of prissy Kaitlyn Walker's nastiness, and everyone thinks she and the dweebiest boy in class are an item. Then one day Amy meets Sherlock, a dog on the run from a university lab. Sherlock is not like other dogs: He can talk, he's smarter than most of Amy's classmates—and he needs Amy's help. Suddenly Amy's life is full of danger and excitement, and she finds she is becoming, of all things, popular. Best of all, she finds in Sherlock the sort of friend she's always longed for—the sort of friend she must protect no matter what the cost.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780152061722
Publisher:	HarperCollins
Publication date:	10/01/2007
Edition description:	First Edition
Pages:	160
Sales rank:	1,037,683
Product dimensions:	5.00(w) x 7.50(h) x (d)
Lexile:	840L (what's this?)
Age Range:	10 - 12 Years

About the Author

Vivian Vande Velde has written many books for teen and middle grade readers, including Heir Apparent, User Unfriendly, All Hallow's Eve: 13 Stories, Three Good Deeds, Now You See It ..., and the Edgar Award–winning Never Trust a Dead Man. She lives in Rochester, New York. Visit her website at www.vivianvandevelde.com.

What People are Saying About This

From the Publisher

"Sherlock and Amy will have readers cheering for them. The accessible vocabulary, quick-moving plot, and humor make the novel appealing for reluctant readers."—The Horn Book"Rendered with an abundance of charm and wit."—Publishers Weekly

Editorial Reviews

"Sherlock and Amy will have readers cheering for them. The accessible vocabulary, quick-moving plot, and humor make the novel appealing for reluctant readers."—The Horn Book
"Rendered with an abundance of charm and wit."—Publishers Weekly —

From the Publisher

F-32 (or Sherlock, as he comes to be named) is a "smart dog" indeed--he has escaped from a university research lab where a scientific experiment has endowed him with speech and all sorts of other signs of intelligence. Unfortunately, the experiment is scheduled to end in the dissection of his brain; fortunately, Sherlock stumbles upon Amy, a painfully unpopular fifth-grader who is only too happy to help him. As she concocts a series of plans to keep him safe, Amy finds herself growing in confidence and courage. Although the supporting characters are familiar types (the smart nerd with the heart of gold, the mean-spirited popular girl, the evil vivisectionist), the enduring fantasy of a talking pet is rendered with an abundance of charm and wit. Sherlock is endearingly doggy and his academic abilities are humorously limited. For example, he can work a computer (he likes the games), but he gums up the keyboard by typing with a pencil eraser. As he and Amy try to figure out a solution to his problems, he asks her, "Do you want to scratch my belly while you're thinking?" His attempts to replicate the behavior of regular dogs will have readers giggling. Ages 8-12. (Sept.)

Publishers Weekly - Publisher's Weekly

Gr 3-6-To say that F-32 is a smart dog is a gross understatement. He is computer literate, articulate, and a good judge of human character. This subject of a brain-enhancing science experiment engineers his escape from a research college, selects his "best friend," unpopular fifth-grader Amy Prochenko, and follows her to school. Not since Officer Buckle's Gloria [Officer Buckle & Gloria (Putnam, 1995)] has a dog had such a profound impact on students. Amy finds new friends and inner resources as she helps save the pup from the clutches of the evil scientist plotting brain dissection. Readers rooting for this canine will enjoy the twists and turns in this fast-moving story. Granted that some characters are breezily drawn-sidekick Sean is too good to believe and Kaitlyn, the controlling Miss Popular Know-it-all, is hissingly evil-but the underlying message about popularity and true friendship has rarely been so gently conveyed. Sister Mary Grace, the fifth-grade teacher, is a pleasure to meet. The ending, with both young and old villains getting their just deserts, is deliciously satisfying. Vande Velde, who has written dark fantasies about magical beings for older readers, uses a lighter hand for younger audiences. This book would make a great introduction to Robert O'Brien's Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH (Atheneum, 1971), the perennial favorite about escaped science subjects.-Marilyn Payne Phillips, University City Public Library, MO

School Library Journal

Fifth grader Amy Prochenko gets the surprise of her life walking to school one day. A dog tells her that he is in trouble and needs help. Amy can't believe what she hearsþdid the dog speak or is she crazy? Actually, the dog is super-intelligent F-32, an experiment from the local college who has run away because of an evil professor's plan to dissect his brain. A slapstick series of events ensues, from Amy's convincing her parents to keep the dog she redubs Sherlock, to keeping Sherlock's identityþand abilityþsecret, especially from stuck-up Kaitlyn, who bullies her every day. Her lies eventually spiral out of control, culminating in more misunderstandings. While there are a few comic scenesþparticularly one in which the parents come to school and learn how to make Ukrainian eggsþthe plot and characters are fairly well worn. When a biology department head marches in at the last moment to solve an abruptly sprung mystery, readers get overlong explanations instead of the rousing ending they've waited for. Fans of Vande Velde (Curses, Inc., 1997, etc.) will miss the vigor she's brought to her other fantastical musings. (Fiction. 8-12)

Kirkus Reviews