Answers to Dog

Hautman, Pete. Answers to Dog
October 1, 2024 by Candlewick Press

E ARC provided by Edelweiss Plus

Evan Dunn has a decent life; his friend Calder and Kellan sit with him on the bus and dilute the attention of bully Adam, and his home life is calm. His father, a former lawyer, now carves exquisite wooden dragons, and his mother is very set in her ways, leaving the house only to go to her Quaker meetings, and cooking predictable dinners. Evan takes great comfort in running as well, and even comes to the attention of his gym teacher, Coach Riley. When a dog shows up at his house, Evan is intrigued. He eventually tracks down the dog to Happy Dog puppy mill, where he encounters the unpleasant Peter Grey who is mistreating the dog for having run away. Grey, an alcoholic, has recently been left by his wife, and he seems to be taking his disappointment out in the dogs. He does tell Evan that it would cost $5,000 to buy the dog, which is money that Evan doesn't have even if his mother would let the dog in the house. He starts talking to classmate Hana on the bus, and getting more information about  dogs. When the dog (whose point of view we see frequently) shows up at Evan's house and herds him back to Happy Dog, Evan finds Grey unconscious on the yard. He calls 911, and stays to feed the dogs. He even calls a veterinarian, who refuses to help because Grey is behind on his bills. Evan asks his father for help, and the two eventually find out Grey's status in the hospital and talk to Deni, Grey's wife. Deni hires Hana and Evan to take care of the dogs and tells them that the dog's name is Samarkand, or Sam, which is also Mr. Dunn's name. Coach Riley, who had had Ms. Dunn as a student, gives Evan shoes and requests that he comes to practice, since he is given to running six or seven miles. Sam the dog proves somewhat elusive, but eventually comes to live with the Dunns. 

Strengths: I love that Hautman was a fan of Jim Kjelgaard's dog books! My library copies of Stormy and the Big Red series finally fell apart, which was sad. Also, other than a puppy that dies off page, all of the dogs, especially Sam, are okay! Calder is portrayed as having alopecia and being a Trekkie, and I woldn't have minded knowing more about him. The thing that is really brilliant about this is the fact that Evan and Hana step in and save the day. There are so many stories in the news about puppy mills, and yet my students don't seem to know anything about them, so this will be a good introduction. Evan is a typical middle school boy, who doesn't quite know what he's doing or what he wants, so it's interesting to watch him discover running and to connect with the dog. The book is a good length, moves quickly, and has enough emotional punch to it that I foresee this being a popular choice for book projects. 
Weaknesses: There were just little things that bothered me that won't bother younger readers. Hana calls Sam on a landline, which didn't seem realistic. There seemed to be something wrong with Evan's mother (depression?), but it was never addressed. Considering that Evan's mother was a runner, it seemed odd that he would not have proper shoes, and I don't know how he would be able to continue to run after he damaged his feet running barefoot. Evan is reading Of Mice and Men for class, which I can't imagine any teacher these days assigning. Hana is portrayed as being on crutches and in a walking boot; at first Calder thinks this is because she has had surgery because of limb differences, but it just turned out to be a bone spur. That seemed like an odd pivot. None of these things really ruin the story, but had they been different, this could have been a much better book. 
What I really think: This is a good choice for readers who can't get enough dogs books like Salisbury's Banjo, Hoyle's Millie, Ibbotson's classic A Boy and His Dog, and other books that combine realistic problems with the reassuring presence of dogs. I will definitely be purchasing a copy.