The Green Dog: A Mostly True Story

I needed a memoir to use in a 5th grade classroom. This book is perfect! And I can personally relate to the dog obsession, that makes it even better!

This story takes place in present time. It is about a girl named Suzanne who wants the "perfect dog." She lives in the outer part of the suburbs, in a house with her parents and her brother and sister. Her brother is allergic to dogs, so her dad keeps saying no, that she can't have a dog. Then one day, the "perfect dog" runs up to her and follows her home. She begs her dad to let her keep him. He keeps saying no. She names the dog Jeff. Her dad says that she can keep the dog until they find the owner. They put up posters about the dog. Suzanne and Jeff are best friends; they go fishing together, and go on walks together. They spend a lot of time together all summer. When its time for Suzanne to go back to school at the end of the summer, Jeff gets very lonely. Then her dad gets a call from some people that live on a farm, and they say that Jeff is their dog, but her dad did not tell Suzanne. One day when she comes home from school, Jeff is gone. She finds out her dad took Jeff back to the farm where he belongs. She becomes very angry and sad and runs away into the woods. She lays on the ground and cries until she feels rain on her back. Then she decided to go home. The next day her mom calls the doctor, but he says that Suzanne is not sick, just sad. After a while Suzanne realizes that Jeff is in a better place where he can run around outside, instead of being stuck inside her house. She is happy that he is happy.

In the beginning, Jeff is just an imaginary dog...something 10 year-old Suzanne invents in her daydreams. Her brother's allergies get in the way between Suzanne and her hopes of a REAL dog. One who shares her "interests"(in other words, critter catching, fishing, swimming and just hanging out in the forest by the lake). Her mother desperately tries to find Suzanne friends, thinking her daughter is too absorbed in her daydreams and needs companionsip. She sets up play dates with local children for Suzanne, but nothing seems to work. Suzanne still wants a dog and insists she "needs" one. One day, while traveling to her father's new company building, she spots the real "Jeff" ; a black and tan dog wandering on the median strip on a highway close to her house. She is thrilled, and asks her parents to take Jeff home with them. After all, she reasons, he could get hit by a car. Her father refuses, and although her mother doens't agree, she sides with Suzanne's father, grounding Suzanne's hopes into the dirt. But when the family returns to their home, they find "Jeff", sleeping on the doorsteps. Insisting that it is fate, Suzanne and her siblings take up the plea to keep the dog on a trial basis. What Suzanne doesn't know, is that she's in for the summer of her life, filled with joys, discoveries, friendship and eventually, heartbreak. *****| This is a great book. Although the characters are all too familiar and so is the plot(gawky, unconfident kid finds herself in dog), it's a simple story that should be given a chance. I enjoyed it. Check it out.

Our afterschool Book Club (4th & 5th graders) read the book Green Dog during the month of March. Some gave it 5 stars, some three so we compromised at 4 stars!! See what they had to say about it:*Lots of Discription from Suzzanne Fisher Stapples! Emily,the horselover!*I think it was interesting. Suzzanne and I have a lot in common. Jeff is a very funny charactar. I would recommend this book to anybody who loves dogs or wants a dog or wants to know what some dogs can do. Maria*I give it three stars. I think it should be three stars because it is great and sometimes it was kind of good. Shad*3 stars O.K. Isaac*I gave this book three stars. I think this book was a good book but there were a few parts I didn't like. Suzanne and I have alot in common; like she day dreams alot - and so do I. I liked the expressions Suzzanne used. Over all a great book! Karen*It was a very good book. Kelly*Even though I didn't get it finished, I liked what I read. Emily*I had a hard time getting into the story, so I didn't finish it. But after hearing the others share, I wish I had read it. Lauren*I think this book was touching, sad, and true hearted. I know it was a "Mostly Ture Story" but I think it may have been too sad. At first I did not understand what "the farm" was. I thought it meant a place where they put dogs to sleep. I'm glad it was not. I would recommend this book to anyone who can accept sad stories about animals. Leah