Me & Jack by Danette Haworth has a setting that probably doesn't appear often enough in children's literature--the Vietnam War era.
The protagonist in the book, Joshua, has just moved to a new town with his father, an army recruiter. His mother has died, and so that Joshua won't be alone, he and his father go to the local pound to adopt a dog.
Josh shows the first of his unusual qualities when, instead of the German Shepherd his dad thinks is perfect, he is drawn to an unusual-looking dog with long red ears that glow.
Like any piece of good literature, there are different levels of conflict in the story, and in this case, they are all smartly connected in Josh's life.
The townspeople have sent many of their young men to war and are eagerly awaiting the return of one of them when news arrives of the death of another young man. Being an army recruiter is difficult, and Josh's father begins to experience some of the violence of the anti-war sentiment that was rampant during this era.
Josh is also fighting his own little war with two neighbor boys. Ray and his cousin, Alan, are neighbors and could be Josh's friends except for Alan's insecurity and fear of dogs--Jack included. Alan only wants one friend (or can only keep one friend) -- his cousin, Ray.
Josh, used to moving around and making new friends (he keeps shoeboxes from each new town with mementos specific to that place), instructs the reader about how to go about the difficult business of establishing new relationships.
"Having done this a million times, I knew how to make my approach -- say hi; don't act too eager; play it cool -- but I still always got that nervious feeling in the pit of my stomach."
While trying to befriend Ray in spite of his horrid cousin, Alan, Josh is worried because there is an animal causing problems and killing animals in the neighborhood. His dog, Jack, is a natural suspect, especially after he kills a rabbit in front of a group of people at the park.
Adding to the anti-Jack sentiment is Jack's unusual appearance. It turns out he is a Pharaoh hound, a rare and special breed with some interesting traits. Simple research uncovers that when excited or happy, the dogs' nose and ears blush and turn pink. They also have a high prey drive (hence Jack's desire to kill the rabbit).
On the island of Malta where they are native, they are used to hunt rabbits. Pharaoh hounds also need a lot of exercise, hence Jack's agility and quickness to run. Haworth stays true to the nature of the breed when she writes about Jack and his actions.
Josh's fervor to keep his beloved dog makes him determined to find out the true culprit -- which he strongly suspects is a coyote.
The touching ending will bring tears to even the hardest of hearts.
This would be a wonderful book to use in a fourth or fifth grade classroom. There are many themes to discuss with the students about war, friendship, forgiveness, love, and loyalty.
There is also superb character development, and the book would be a great way to introduce or explain the concept of gray area -- not many characters are totally black and white. Even the hero.
Danette Haworth also wrote The Summer of Moonlight Secrets, another wonderful read for kids in grade four through seven.
This review was based on an advance reader's copy provided by the author.
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