Themes reminiscent of Jack London's Call of the Wild ring throughout this vividly imagined animal story told from a canine perspective, said PW. The action moves along at a crackling pace, reaching a crescendo in a dramatic moonlight confrontation. Ages 8-12. (Apr.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved

Gr 3-6-A story with a decidedly canine point of view that will delight dog lovers. Jack's malamute, McKinley, is the top dog in Steamboat Springs, CO. His enemy is not a cat but a sad excuse for an Irish setter, Redburn. Sedate small-town life is interrupted by the appearance of Lupin, a she-wolf that urges dogs to free themselves from the tyranny of domesticated life. The noble McKinley tries to help her, and save a mistreated greyhound, but is misunderstood and relegated to the "dog house" by rather dim-witted humans. Communication between dogs and humans is awkward at best. There is a lot of dialogue among the dogs, among the humans, and between humans and dogs. The people come off as pretty stupid and McKinley is rather tolerant of the limitations of his "human pup" owner. It is confusing that sometimes McKinley seems to understand exactly what humans think and say and at other times professes ignorance. Still, fans of the film version of The Incredible Journey and Beethoven will lap this up as it has a very cinematic feel. Many scenes seem almost written directly for film. Readers will have no problem following the rapid, almost relentless action. John Erickson's "Hank the Cowdog" series (Viking) and James Howe's "Bunnicula" series (Atheneum) are similar in tone.-Marilyn Payne Phillips, University City Public Library, MO (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Gr. 3-6. Life is good for malamute McKinley. As head dog of Steamboat Springs, Colorado, he enjoys both his leadership role and the responsibility of looking after Jack, the boy he regards as his "human pup." But when Lupin, a wolf with a mission, shows up, McKinley's comfortable world is turned upside down. Hoping to recruit dogs to replenish her dwindling pack, Lupin promises freedom from what she calls enslavement by humans. Before long McKinley's leadership is challenged and his loyalty to Jack is tested as he finds himself wondering why it is that humans think they own their dogs. It's a valid question and Avi presents it, from McKinley's point of view, in an interesting mix of adventure and animal rights advocacy. A welcome element of humor in the otherwise serious story derives from Avi's creation of dog names for human objects: TV, for example, is a "glow box"; a book is "a block of staring papers." Avi's many fans will, doubtless, be glad to stare at the always-inventive author's latest block of papers. --Michael Cart