The book My Life in Dog Years by Gary Paulsen is a autobiography about him and the dogs he had in his time.In the book he talks about the many companions and adventures they had over their life.One of the dogs he talks about is his dog Cookie.Cookie was a sled dog that was given to him by a man who thought she could no longer run but she was later found out to only have worms.Cookie once saved Gary's life when they were out trapping beavers,the ice below his feet cracked and he feel through and Cookie seen him falling and got the rest of the dogsup to save him.More dogs he talks about have also saved his life and he cared for them the same but he dedicated the book to Cookie.The book was interesting.I think it was a new type of book that i read.The way it was told was like a memory.He did a good job at the description of he dogs and the way he feels about them.He could make you feel his love for the dogs.The way the book was broken up was that every chapter was a different dog.Each dog has its own story and none of them are less special than the first to him.One of my favorite parts of the book is when he talks about his dog Ike.This was my favorite story.He met Ike when he was going hunting and he mistook Ike for a bear and was going to shoot him.After that mishap him and Ike became a good hunting team.Ike would wait at the bridge for Gary and Gary would bring a sandwich for him.Gary said that Ike was never anything less than an equal.I liked that part a lot becausethat showed me how close a person can be wit an animal.Then one day Ike stop waiting for him at the bridge.He never knew what happened to Ike until 30 years later while he was in a hard-wear store.He was telling the owner about how one of his dogs saved his life and the owner began to cry and told him that he too had a dog like that.The owner said that him and his dog used to go hunting with and he was sad that he had to leave him to go to the war.He then says when he returned from the war the dog was there waiting for him.Gary thought to himself and asked the man was his dog named Ike,the man said yes and asked him how did he know.Gary tells him that him and Ike were friends.I liked the ending of this story because eventually he found out what happened to his best friend.I think this book would be a good choice for animal lovers or people fans of friendship books.Another book that this reminds me of is another Gary Paulsen book called Dog Son.It reminds me of it because it also show the connections between humans and dogs.
ttIn my opinion, it is best to preface this review with an important piece of information. The piece of information is that this book is a collection of the author Gary Paulsen's experiences with dogs throughout his life. Due to this format, the setting varies. It goes from when Paulsen was young in the Philippines to when he was much older than that in Colorado. There are even more times and places than this, but those are at least some of them. The conflict, and plot are not easily represented due to the format of the book. Conflict can be represented though not in the traditional way one might expect. There are multiple conflicts in the book, and one example is when Gary Paulsen’s pig is eating plants from his garden, and Gary Paulsen takes certain measures to try to stop this from happening. tThere are two characters that I consider to be main characters in the book. One is Gary Paulsen (Of course), and the other his wife. There are other characters in the book, just not like the aforementioned ones. Now this difference from a traditional book with generally common elements of plot is not necessarily bad, just different. I actually enjoyed it, and would read it again. One reason I enjoyed it is because it gives some insight into the life of Gary Paulsen. tPeople may want to read this book because it can appeal to those interested in dogs and the life of Gary Paulsen. This book also contains some humor which would allow at least some readers to enjoy the book then just a plain old biography of Paulsen’s life and his experiences with dogs, though I think that would still be interesting. In my opinion, the book is well-written, and though it might be meant for grades lower than 8th, it still was a good book and not so easy that I was “bored”. My rating for it is 5 out of 5.
My Life in Dog years is about some of Garry’s dogs my favorite dog was Rex. Not many people would think Rex was a good chapter But I did it was about a dog named Rex that was very good with the other animals he wasn’t even trained and could do so many things like take each cow separately in the barn and out to where the grass is good. Rex would go around and check and see how each of the animals were doing and got in a battle with a skunk once. There were many other chapters here are my favorites, Dirk, Fred and Pig, Quincy, and Josh. Dirk is about a stray dog helping Garry when he needed it. Fred and Pig was about a bond between a dog named fred and a pig named pig. Every day Fred would go and see Pig but when Pig gets out and ruins the garden he gets put in an electric fence. Fred went to go see Pig and gets in a “War” (he wins) Quincy was about a Shih-tzu who likes to smell things and when they get to dairy queen windows are jumped and madness brakes out. Josh is about a dog who is very smart and has a very neat way of doing things. I don’t want to tell you the whole book but here are more of the chapters, Cookie, snowball, Ike, and Caesar. The Genre of this book is Autobiography and it has many heartwarming stories any animal lover would love.
—Myah
Wow. I loved this book. If you are a fan of Gary Paulsen, or a dog person, or both, you will like this book! I read it during silent reading time with my library classes, which actually wasn't a great idea because I was alternately crying or laughing or both - and trying to be quiet! - during the different stories. I would have enjoyed even more a much longer book with many more stories of dogs from Gary Paulsen's life.A favorite quote:"I have always had dogs and will have dogs until I die. I have rescued dozens of dogs from pounds, always have five or six of them around me, and cannot imagine living without dogs. They are wonderful and, I think, mandatory for decent human life."
—Luann
Wow, an incredible book. My first Paulsen read, but I can just tell that it won't be my last. Powerful, powerful writing. Gary Paulsen has had many dogs over his lifetime, here we are introduced to 9 of them. An astounding range of dogs and adventures. Gary's childhood wasn't a traditional suburban one. He lived in the Phillipines during the Second World War. His parents were alcoholics and so distant. He then lived a not typical suburban adult life. All the while with an extraordinary collection of dogs to watch over him and keep him company. This book is said to be for the 9-12 year olds. However the chapter Snowball was a bit much for my (admittedly somewhat sensitive) recently 9 year old. Snowball is a pup that Gary gets his mother to buy in the Phillipines in 1946, so that it won't be eaten for dinner. Vivid descriptions of Japanese cadavers left over from the war, families living in abject poverty, alcoholic parents, a heroic dog who saves his life and then is dramatically killed in front of young Gary's eyes just before their expected return to America is not the stuff of traditional childhood stories. There were tears before bedtime after that story. A beautifully moving story, but beware if your youngster is likely to cry themselves to sleep about a dog that died in 1949. Other stories are beautiful and engaging beyond words, or funny. I don't want a dog like Caesar in my life, but would love to meet Josh. Disappointingly the cover of my Yearling paperback is about the flimsiest I've ever seen. Hardly likely to stand up to much childhood loving.
—Louise (A Strong Belief in Wicker)
