Adam Penrose (aged 9)
This story is about a boy called Hal and a dog called Fleck. Hal has everything any boy could want except a dog. Fleck is quite the opposite. He’s in a dog’s home and all he wants is an owner.
Hal’s parents hate even thinking about dogs but they decide to rent a dog for the weekend. Hal thinks it’s forever. How will he cope when they take Fleck away? The book tells how a friendship between a boy and a dog can be stronger than anything.
What I liked most about this book is the way Hal wouldn’t give up until he could keep Fleck and the relationship they had together.
I loved everything about this book. It was absolutely brilliant. I liked it so much I couldn’t put it down. I read it in a day.
My favourite character was Pippa; the sister of a worker who worked in the dog rental agency. I liked her because she was gutsy and not afraid of anything or anyone. She was also a very good friend to Hal and Fleck.
The story made me sad because it made me think about dogs and the way they are treated. I learned why Eva Ibbotson loved animals and gave up testing them to write about them instead. I even borrowed The Ogre of Oglefort; another of Eva Ibbotson’s books, and read it too.
I would highly recommend One dog and his boy to any boy or girl over eight. It was exciting and well worth the read. I would love to read every single one of her books especially Journey to the River Sea her most famous book which won a Smarties gold prize in 2001.
I would give this book 10/10 because I loved every word of it and it was fantastic.
Cian McGuinness (aged 9)
This book is a story about a dog Fleck and a boy named Hal and how they became friends and the adventures they had together. All Hal ever wanted for Christmas and his birthday was a dog. Hal’s Mum and Dad are not very nice and are afraid that a dog would mess up their lovely home. They buy him expensive presents which he does not want.
For his tenth birthday his Dad brings him to a pet shop where he meets Fleck and he brings it home. His Dad does not tell him that the dog is only rented for the weekend and will have to go back on Monday. When this happens the boy decides he will steal the dog from the pet shop and travel to his Grandparents. The adventure begins as other dogs in the pet shop escape and they want to travel with Hal and Fleck.
On their way they found a circus called Henry’s Circus. They met a man and he let’s them sleep in a cabin. The dogs do tricks at the circus and have a great time. Hal’s parents offer a reward of £20,000 for anyone who can find Hal. They are chased by Kevin who wants to get the reward. He locks Hal in a shed and the dogs help Hal escape. He gets to his grandparents house and his parents come and beg him to come home. They see how much the boy and dog love each other and they allow Hal to bring Fleck home for good.
I enjoyed the book but there are some boring bits in it to. I would give this book 8 out of 10.
