Smart Dog

by Vivian Vande Velde

Overview

Fifth grader Amy Prochenko is wildly unpopular. 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 discovers in Sherlock the sort of friend she's always longed for--and one she must protect no matter what the cost.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780547351612
Publisher:	HarperCollins
Publication date:	10/01/2007
Sold by:	HARPERCOLLINS
Format:	eBook
Pages:	160
Lexile:	840L (what's this?)
File size:	487 KB
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

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

"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