Soldier Dog

With his older brother gone to fight in the Great War, and his father prone to sudden rages, 14-year-old Stanley devotes himself to taking care of the family's greyhound and puppies. Until the morning Stanley wakes to find the puppies gone.

Determined to find his brother, Stanley runs away to join an increasingly desperate army. Assigned to the experimental War Dog School, Stanley is given a problematic Great Dane named Bones to train. Against all odds, the pair excels, and Stanley is sent to France.

But in *Soldier Dog *by Sam Angus, the war in France is larger and more brutal than Stanley ever imagined. How can one young boy survive World War I and find his brother with only a dog to help?

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### From Booklist

Stanley believes Da has destroyed Soldier, Stanley’s beloved half-breed pup, so he flees home for the western front of WWI in hopes of locating his brother Tom. It’s no wonder: Da disdains everything and everyone, thrashing around in a bleak, bitter depression ever since his wife died, and making Stanley’s life unbearable. In Angus’ vividly written first novel, based on the British Army’s Messenger Dog Service, Stanley fibs about his age, enlists, learns of the messenger dog service, and becomes a trainer. The dogs work heroically as runners across the battlefields of France, carrying communiqués about enemy whereabouts. The action is highly dramatic, and readers will feel catapulted into the trenches, surrounded on all sides, at a time when an Allied victory was by no means assured. Stanley’s two charges, first Bones and then Pistol, will thrill readers with their canine derring-do. True, the miraculous coincidences pile up a bit awkwardly in this affecting heart-warmer, but you probably won’t find a more exciting dog story out there. Grades 5-8. --Anne O'Malley

### Review

“A heart-warmer . . . you probably won't find a more exciting dog story out there.” ―*Booklist*

“An outstanding book, reminiscent of Michael Morpurgo's *War Horse*.” ―*School Library Journal, starred review*

“This is a fascinating slice of World War I history, and readers who like fiction about war, history, or dogs will find much to enjoy here.” ―*BCCB*