Notes from the dog

Notes from the dog

By Gary Paulsen

IL: Grades 6-9

RL: 4+

14 year old Finn has a goal this summer. His goal is to not speak to more than 12 people because talking to people stresses him out. He's happy to spend time with his one true friend, Matthew, who is staying with Finn and his dad for the summer as his parents settle into their new divorce.

Enter Johanna. Johanna is a graduate student (Library and Information Science, woohoo!) who is house sitting next door. We quickly learn that Johanna has breast cancer- is a survivor in her words because as she says, "In my book, if you live one split second after hearing news like that, you're a survivor."

There are lots of things growing in this story. The garden Finn is supposed to be growing for Johanna, which is quite a challenge since he seems to have a black thumb. But most importantly is the growing of relationships across many generations.

Notes from the dog is a story of  growth, of community, of caring, and of commitment. In a short 132 pages, Palusen does it again and weaves a story worth reading. 

Paulsen, G. (2009). Notes from the dog. New York, NY: Wendy Lamb Books.