Bad to the Bone

Having read the other 2 books by Ms. Nolan to my 2nd graders, this book was eagerly anticipated. We loved it!

Down Girl the dog wasn't a fan of cats for sure. Here Kitty Kitty was a torturous critter who sometimes stuck to trees like a squirrel and sometimes even exploded (watch out!). What Down Girl really liked was Rruff, her master, and her best friend Sit. Hush, the dog down the street, wasn't all that bad either. Down Girl and Sit weren't getting much attention by being good so they decided that being bad to the bone just might do the trick and Hush was just the dog to hand out some advice! She tried "snatch and run," but the stone elf didn't move and Rruff didn't really seem to notice when she grabbed that pinecone. This was almost as bad as when Rruff took her lovely, stinky blanket, threw it in the wash and ruined it! At any rate, it was a sad state of affairs when her master didn't seem to notice her antics, but then when Down and Sit were trying to be good there was trouble big time. They were going to obedience school! Down Girl thought, "it is very, very hard to train a human. But sometimes, just sometimes, they can surprise you." Would Down Girl, Sit and Hush succeed in their mission? You'll have to read the book to find out! When I relayed or read portions of this book to friends they just laughed and laughed at the antics of Down Girl and Sit (Hush too). This easy to read chapter book is a tickle bone toucher will amuse the whole family . . . grownups can snatch and read the book after bedtime. Had Marley the dog lived in the same neighborhood there would be big time fun to be had for all. Now he would be just the guy to show Down, Sit and Hush the ins and outs of obedience school!

Kids ages 6-9 will appreciate BAD TO THE BONE, the story of one Down Girl and Sit who work hard at training their masters. There are so many lessons about keeping pets that their owners need to learn: how can two dogs train them adequately when they won't go to Obedience School? A fine story evolves, from a very different perspective.

We liked this book even more than the second. From ages 6 to 78, we all continued to love this series. Sue p