mehsi's review against another edition
5.0
Edit: 2018, I totally forgot to post my full review for this one. Oopsie. I may be re-reading it soon.
This was a cute book, about a dog and his plan to save this family that is falling apart. Yep, falling
apart, without the help of the mom no one can do anything. It was quite fun to see what the dog's plans were and how hard he worked to get everything right again. Betty was definitely my favourite character, I loved how wise she was. The book also had gorgeous illustrations. I wish there were more of them. :)
Though I did think it was a bit weird that a girl, 8 (but almost 9, as gets repeated MANY MANY TIMES), and a her dog have to do everything for her family. The dad was pretty useless, and I also couldn't sympathise with the mom and her decisions. I get that you want to do something else for a while, but then maybe you shouldn't have gotten married/gotten kids. :|
This was a cute book, about a dog and his plan to save this family that is falling apart. Yep, falling
apart, without the help of the mom no one can do anything. It was quite fun to see what the dog's plans were and how hard he worked to get everything right again. Betty was definitely my favourite character, I loved how wise she was. The book also had gorgeous illustrations. I wish there were more of them. :)
Though I did think it was a bit weird that a girl, 8 (but almost 9, as gets repeated MANY MANY TIMES), and a her dog have to do everything for her family. The dad was pretty useless, and I also couldn't sympathise with the mom and her decisions. I get that you want to do something else for a while, but then maybe you shouldn't have gotten married/gotten kids. :|
carmenhartjensen's review against another edition
4.0
Love the underlying theme about appreciating your mother.
ashleylm's review against another edition
3.0
(I received this book for free through an early reviewer program).
This was a perfectly pleasant, forgettable book. If you stumble over it on a shelf at the cottage, by all means, read it, but I wouldn't go out of my way to acquire it. Granted, I'm a 53-year-old, so not the target market, but I read heavily in the Children's Literature arena and I know there are more exciting options out there.
The author is attempting to do two main things, and neither one is carried off with any great panache or skill.
The first would be to maintain a somewhat whimsical, eccentric tone (e.g. Roald Dahl), such as the mother shirking her emotional labour to concentrate on yoga, but these attempts are inconsistent, unbelievable, and not particularly exciting. The second is to demonstrate the dog's amazing ability to fix to the family by initiating a series of plans--but again, not particularly exciting (an example: he fixes the family's inability to do laundry by picking up their clothes and moving them by his bed, thereby encouraging them to clean up after themselves. Now there's a page-turner!)
(Note: 5 stars = amazing, wonderful, 4 = very good book, 3 = decent read, 2 = disappointing, 1 = awful, just awful. I'm fairly good at picking for myself so end up with a lot of 4s).
This was a perfectly pleasant, forgettable book. If you stumble over it on a shelf at the cottage, by all means, read it, but I wouldn't go out of my way to acquire it. Granted, I'm a 53-year-old, so not the target market, but I read heavily in the Children's Literature arena and I know there are more exciting options out there.
The author is attempting to do two main things, and neither one is carried off with any great panache or skill.
The first would be to maintain a somewhat whimsical, eccentric tone (e.g. Roald Dahl), such as the mother shirking her emotional labour to concentrate on yoga, but these attempts are inconsistent, unbelievable, and not particularly exciting. The second is to demonstrate the dog's amazing ability to fix to the family by initiating a series of plans--but again, not particularly exciting (an example: he fixes the family's inability to do laundry by picking up their clothes and moving them by his bed, thereby encouraging them to clean up after themselves. Now there's a page-turner!)
(Note: 5 stars = amazing, wonderful, 4 = very good book, 3 = decent read, 2 = disappointing, 1 = awful, just awful. I'm fairly good at picking for myself so end up with a lot of 4s).
crwof's review against another edition
4.0
Read aloud when we didn't have a better, longer story to read. Children enjoyed the dog and it was quick and painless for the adult reader.
ljrinaldi's review against another edition
4.0
What happens with a mom decides that she is tired of doing thing for the family and goes on strike?
In this case, the family goes out and gets a dog, and a good thing to, or else they would have starved to death and warn dirty clothes the rest of their natural lives.
This is such a fun book. McTavish, the dog, knows that the family is broken, and uses his wiles to get the family to start, gasp, doing things for themselves.
For example, when they dont't wash their own clothes, he takes them and hides them until they run out of anything to wear, and have to get the clothes back, and wash out the dog smell.
And when he stops eating, Betty, the youngest, asks the vet what the dog should eat, and so she starts making veggies and chicken and rice for the dog, and it smells so good, and tastes so good, that the kids give up eating junk food to eat the "dog food."
Will the mother come off strike? Will every one survive? Will they ever get to school on time?
So much fun, and I hope there are more stories about McTavish at some point.
Thanks to Netgalley for making this book available for an honest review.
In this case, the family goes out and gets a dog, and a good thing to, or else they would have starved to death and warn dirty clothes the rest of their natural lives.
This is such a fun book. McTavish, the dog, knows that the family is broken, and uses his wiles to get the family to start, gasp, doing things for themselves.
For example, when they dont't wash their own clothes, he takes them and hides them until they run out of anything to wear, and have to get the clothes back, and wash out the dog smell.
And when he stops eating, Betty, the youngest, asks the vet what the dog should eat, and so she starts making veggies and chicken and rice for the dog, and it smells so good, and tastes so good, that the kids give up eating junk food to eat the "dog food."
Will the mother come off strike? Will every one survive? Will they ever get to school on time?
So much fun, and I hope there are more stories about McTavish at some point.
Thanks to Netgalley for making this book available for an honest review.
quiettalker's review against another edition
Disturbing. Wish fulfillment for overworked mothers.
ame_das's review
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25