MARVELOUS MIDDLE
GRADE MONDAY
Love That Dog
by
Sharon Creech
I enjoyed Sharon Creech’s “Walk Two Moons” and “The Boy on
the Porch.” Therefore, it was easy to be seduced by her small middle grade
novel “Love That Dog.” It was also easy for me to carefully buy several of her
books for middle school graduation gifts.
“Love That Dog” is a book in poetry form. Jack, the main
character, is studying poetry in Miss Stretchberry’s English class. When he
comes across a poem or author he likes, he structures his own poems in the same
style. The story comes out over the course of the school year—much longer than
most schools study poetry. Often the most time devoted to poetry in schools is
a month or two. To see a story in poetry over a whole school year was
remarkable. To see Jack learn to express his emotions through poetry was
heartfelt and inspiring. (The poems used in class are at the back of the book.)
Spoiler alert: Had I
known it was a sad story within an uplifting story, I might not have read it.
Yes, I know the stories that stay with you are the ones that pluck your
heartstrings and draw out deep emotional responses. I guess I needed to be better
prepared. The lightheartedness caught me off guard. I suppose it was more
powerful this way. Recommended for ages 8-11.
Tags:
Sharon Creech, Love That Dog, Jack, yellow dog, Walter Dean Myers, poems, poetry, loss, growth
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