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Stray
When 16-year-old Natalie Kaplan meets a new person, she knows right away what kind of dog they'd be. Natalie herself resembles an Ibizan hound—quiet, playful, loyal, smart, and above all, obedient. Actually, Natalie has been trained so well that sometimes she thinks her mother is secretly controlling her with a dog whistle. (Her mom is a respected veterinarian with a succe...more
Mass Market Paperback, 288 pages
Published
July 14th 2009
by Laurel Leaf
(first published May 8th 2007)
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Shaya
rated it
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review of another edition
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review of another edition
Recommends it for:
girls who like light romances and dogs
Recommended to Shaya by:
Liza
I am a big dog lover and enjoyed the dog references in Stray. Too many purebred references and a deeper relationship with dogs wasn't really explored but I was expecting that.
This is your typical realistic fiction/romance and as a plus the narrator discusses dogs a lot. Teen angst, too good to be true boyfriend, control freak mom, rebellion...
I thought it was quite cliched and I've read many similar stories before. I did like the way the book approached drug and alcohol u...more
This is your typical realistic fiction/romance and as a plus the narrator discusses dogs a lot. Teen angst, too good to be true boyfriend, control freak mom, rebellion...
I thought it was quite cliched and I've read many similar stories before. I did like the way the book approached drug and alcohol u...more
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The only reason I gave this four out of five stars is because it's not a book I'd go out and buy.
The best part of this book was the humor--I was constantly laughing. If I feeling a little under it, I would pick this up and feel better in no time. Natalie is a cool girl. A little obtuse at times but otherwise, she's pretty sharp. I love how real it seems: this struggle for her to find out who to trust, who she is, what she has to do and what she shouldn't.
I love the do...more
The best part of this book was the humor--I was constantly laughing. If I feeling a little under it, I would pick this up and feel better in no time. Natalie is a cool girl. A little obtuse at times but otherwise, she's pretty sharp. I love how real it seems: this struggle for her to find out who to trust, who she is, what she has to do and what she shouldn't.
I love the do...more
Reviewed by Safia Abdul for TeensReadToo.com
Sixteen-year-old Natalie Kaplan is better around dogs than people. She can name practically every breed of dog there is, yet can't fit in at a party. Natalie lives with her control-freak mother, her cake-baking grandmother, and four dogs (including Fufu, her cement chinese Foo dog that is supposed to bring her luck).
For Natalie, the summer before her junior year of high school wasn't supposed to be different from any other summ...more
Sixteen-year-old Natalie Kaplan is better around dogs than people. She can name practically every breed of dog there is, yet can't fit in at a party. Natalie lives with her control-freak mother, her cake-baking grandmother, and four dogs (including Fufu, her cement chinese Foo dog that is supposed to bring her luck).
For Natalie, the summer before her junior year of high school wasn't supposed to be different from any other summ...more
Natalie, the daughter of a control freak veterinarian mother and an out-of-the-picture dog behaviorist father, also loves dogs and works at her mother's clinic while dreaming of fixing up the room over the garage as her own space. This summer, however, the garage room will be occupied by a friend of the family called Carver who wishes to intern at the clinic. Natalie is peeved until it turns out Carver is a hottie. AND he likes her instead of the witchy neighbor Laney who has no redeemable quali...more
Despite my anticipations when it came to reading this book—as I had been greatly influenced by the previous doggie-related book, Alpha Dog—I am very disappointed about how this book turned out. The storyline relates to Jennifer Ziegler’s book about a mother who wants to control their daughter’s lives and the subject of dogs, but that’s as far as they get.
Natalie Kaplan’s like a dog on a very tight leash and her owner is her mother. To get what she wants, she has to make up lies and ...more
Natalie Kaplan’s like a dog on a very tight leash and her owner is her mother. To get what she wants, she has to make up lies and ...more
The book revolves around a sixteen-year-old named Natalie. Natalie is the daughter of two dog-loving parents, an over-protective, controling veterinarian mother and a distant traveling writing father. Natelie considders herself very unpoopular, especially concering a particualar group of girls. She has two best friends, Kirby, a vintage-loving nerd, and Nina, a confident, social girl who seems to be liked by everyone.
The main character and I are kind of connected, because we both have parents that always form our way instead of we choosing who we really are; and who we want to be. So when I read this book, it's really like I am reading my own story but with a different story plot. From this book I learned that instead of making up lies so I can do things I want to do, maybe there are better ways out.
I didn't finish this book, because I didn't like it too much, plus I really wanted to start reading "New Moon" by Stephanie Meyer. I got about 40% of the way through, then stopped reading. "Stray" is about a girl who is obsessed with dogs, and is very anti-social. She was a lot different than me, and part of the reason I didn't enjoy the book was because I couldn't relate to it at all. While reading, I found that I would skim over an entire page, then go back and have to read...more
This book is about trust of a girl from her mother an the relation she forms with a boy she has known since she was young and the things the main character Nat is forced to because she doesn't have her mothers trust. A girl whose father had left for another lady. A girl who has to live in the boundaries her mother build and the boundaries she has broken down. She has to bulid it up again for her love her mothers trust and the friendship of Kirby and Nina.
Cute, clean teen read. Using the metaphore of dog behaviors throughout each chapter, Stray is about coming of age, becoming oneself, finding your own voice as a young woman, Learning about what your own boundaries are and not those of parental demands.
I love the characters in the book. I can really relate to the main character so it made my time reading it more enjoyable. I like the outcome of the book because it was realistic unlike some teen reads. I also love how dogs were tied into this story. It was fun to read, and i would recommend it to any girl who is growing up.
predictable, no new ground broken, but still an interesting look into a girl's life as she tries to break the barriers that mom erected around her. The gimmick, or hook, is that she works at her mother's vet clinic.
A likeable read.
A likeable read.
A very cute book about finding love and becoming yourself. Natalie's jouney is fun and I recommend this book to anyone looking for something to pass the time (and all dog lovers). <3
a really good book for girls. it truly explores the idea of feeling forgotten and left behind by a parent, something that too many kids feel. awesome book.
I picked it up from the library. After i read it nothing really happened. Its ok but i wouldn't sugest it
Natalie's passion for dogs and her love Carver shows that she is willing to sacrifice herself for something that she feels needs her attention!
This was a sweet book. Sweet and calm and surprisingly welcome at the end of the month. I particularly liked that all of the characters, from Nattie's bitterly overprotective mother to her snotty and popular next door neighbor, are portrayed sympathetically. Reminding us that everyone is more than they seem, no matter how unsympathetic they can be at times. The fact is sometimes you find yourself in a bathroom with your arch nemesis, holding her hair back for her as she vomits her guts out. Gold...more
i think it was a lovely book!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :)
This book was very different and unique book. It was a very open and relaxed read. The thing that I loved the most about it was that it talks about real problems and issues teenagers deal with. It wasn't about a magical land or talking animals;it was a book about real teenagers problems. I loved the fresh breath of reality. I would recommend this to any teenager that doesn't mind a little bit of bad language or some unique concepts. However, I would not recommend this to anyone under the age of ...more
overall good but parts of it were kind of wrong.
it wazz ok not that great
Read august 14, 2009.
cute :)
My Favorite book(: Great love story
The concept of this novel was a nice thought. In the end it was definitley dissapointing, The characters while well concieved and developed. Unfourtanatley the plot began to shrivel around chapter two! i also believed in my ill concieved notion of true life and love that Natalie and Kirby should have ended up togeather!
moderately entertaining novel about dog-obsessed teen girl who experiences first crush and learns to stand up to her (vet) mom over summer break.
This book was cute. There are some issues with the themes and the overall message of the book. The overall story was decent.
Stephanie at ¡Miraculous!
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Shelves:
books-that-deserve-b-trillion-stars
omg its like now mi most favorite book of all time!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I don't really remember it but i think it was good idk
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