DeAnn Campbell, Director of The Children’s and Young Adult Library, recommends Dogtown by Katherina Applegate and Gennifer Choldenko.
It isn’t often that some of the best children’s book writers come together to collaborate on a project. In Dogtown, Katherine Applegate (winner of the Newbery Award for The One and Only Ivan) and Gennifer Choldenko (author of the Al Capone Does My Shirts series) have combined their witty and creative talents.
Dogtown is a shelter for real dogs. Dogs like “Chance” live here. Dogs that can be cuddled and groomed. But Dogtown also shelters a new breed of dogs: Robot Dogs.
“Ever petted a stapler? Hugged a toaster? Cuddled a bag of doorknobs.” Then you know what it is like to have a robot dog.
Robot dogs don’t need to be fed or bathed or poop-scooped after. But those dogs aren’t real, are they? They don’t have hearts or loving owners who miss them. “Metal Head,” the newest robot-dog in Dogtown doesn’t have a brain or a heart, right? Oddly, though, “Metal Head” and “Chance” are looking for the same thing: the families that loved and then lost them.
Can a real dog and a robot dog come together and look out enough for each other to find their ways home?
With short chapters and delightful illustrations by Wallace West, Dogtown is a great book for kids (grades 3-5) who love dogs, robots, and books to read alone or with family.
