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Dog Diaries #3
Barry
Barry der Menschenretter—a.k.a. Barry—the most famous St. Bernard dog in history, tells the story of his life for the first time.
Eight-thousand feet above sea level, in the treacherous pass in the Alps between Italy and Switzerland, the monks of the hospice of St. Bernard have, since the 11th century, kept dogs to help them rescue travelers lost in the snow. In time, these dogs became a breed unto themselves, named for the hospice. They are responsible for helping over 2,000 travelers who might otherwise have frozen to death. With great modesty, Barry tells not just about his own heroic exploits (saving over 40 lives, including that of a 12-year-old boy frozen in a cave), but about his daily life in the hospice, his close relationship with the brothers who train him, and about the other hospice hounds with whom he teams up to guide lost travelers and save lives. With realistic black-and-white illustrations by Tim Jessell—plus an appendix with information about St. Bernards, the Great St. Bernard Hospice, and much, more—Barry's tale is perfect for dog-crazy middle-grade readers!
Eight-thousand feet above sea level, in the treacherous pass in the Alps between Italy and Switzerland, the monks of the hospice of St. Bernard have, since the 11th century, kept dogs to help them rescue travelers lost in the snow. In time, these dogs became a breed unto themselves, named for the hospice. They are responsible for helping over 2,000 travelers who might otherwise have frozen to death. With great modesty, Barry tells not just about his own heroic exploits (saving over 40 lives, including that of a 12-year-old boy frozen in a cave), but about his daily life in the hospice, his close relationship with the brothers who train him, and about the other hospice hounds with whom he teams up to guide lost travelers and save lives. With realistic black-and-white illustrations by Tim Jessell—plus an appendix with information about St. Bernards, the Great St. Bernard Hospice, and much, more—Barry's tale is perfect for dog-crazy middle-grade readers!
160 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2013
57 people are currently reading
313 people want to read
About the author
Kate Klimo
55 books139 followersKate Klimo spent her early years amidst the cornfields of Iowa where the winters were prodigious. Often, when the snows flash-thawed in the spring, she would find her backyard filled with the flapping, resurrected bodies of fish her ice-fishing father had stored in the snowdrifts. Thus sprang into her young head the unshakable notion that, all winter long, fish escaped from the rivers and magically swum through the snow banks of Mount Vernon, Iowa.
When she moved to the little town of Sea Cliff, on Long Island Sound, she met her best friend Justine in the Stenson Memorial Library at the main desk, where they often checked out the same fantasy writers. Together, they read C.S. Lewis, E. Nesbit, Edward Eager, and George MacDonald and embarked on a tireless search for portals to magical worlds, extending from abandoned Victorian mansions to the decrepit local five-and-dime to the sandy cliffs sweeping down to the Sound.
With her propensity for magical thinking and long-standing love of fantasy, does it come as any surprise that Kate grew up to be in the book business? But after over 25 years of heading up Random House Children’s Books, with the publication of The Dragon in the Sock Drawer in March 2008, Kate began to ease over to the author’s side of the desk.
Now a full-time author, in addition to numerous one-off titles, she has written the middle-grade series The Dragon Keepers series and the Dog Diaries as well the Centauriad for young adults. Under the pen name Bonnie Worth, she has penned over a dozen books in the best-selling Cat in the Hat Learning Library. She lives in New Paltz, New York with her husband and two horses.
When she moved to the little town of Sea Cliff, on Long Island Sound, she met her best friend Justine in the Stenson Memorial Library at the main desk, where they often checked out the same fantasy writers. Together, they read C.S. Lewis, E. Nesbit, Edward Eager, and George MacDonald and embarked on a tireless search for portals to magical worlds, extending from abandoned Victorian mansions to the decrepit local five-and-dime to the sandy cliffs sweeping down to the Sound.
With her propensity for magical thinking and long-standing love of fantasy, does it come as any surprise that Kate grew up to be in the book business? But after over 25 years of heading up Random House Children’s Books, with the publication of The Dragon in the Sock Drawer in March 2008, Kate began to ease over to the author’s side of the desk.
Now a full-time author, in addition to numerous one-off titles, she has written the middle-grade series The Dragon Keepers series and the Dog Diaries as well the Centauriad for young adults. Under the pen name Bonnie Worth, she has penned over a dozen books in the best-selling Cat in the Hat Learning Library. She lives in New Paltz, New York with her husband and two horses.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 38 reviews
July 1, 2023
My kids and I love to read these sweet stories! It's fun to learn about real people and real events through a sweet story based on real dogs. I'm not even a dog person😆
June 23, 2021
So when I was on chapter 7 as soon as I read for a couple seconds I was super interested in this book. This series is so good but I feel like if I was writing this story it would be really fun. But everybody likes to write different things. So I think you should get this book. You can get it from the library, too!
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December 23, 2016 The book Barry (Dog Diaries) is about a dog named Barry who is born at a hospice in the mountains.The dogs at the hospice are trained to go out into the snow and rescue travelers who might be injured or covered in the snow. Barry saves at least forty-one lives throughout his years working at the hospice. During one of his rescues, Barry get stabbed and is forced into retirement. A nice man takes Barry in and cares for him. Barry is happy in his new owner's home.
I enjoyed this book. I would recommend this book to anyone who likes dogs. I think this book would be good for anyone in grades three and up. The book does have a part in it where Barry gets stabbed, so I would make sure the reader is mature enough to handle the books content. Over all, I thought Barry was a very good book.
I enjoyed this book. I would recommend this book to anyone who likes dogs. I think this book would be good for anyone in grades three and up. The book does have a part in it where Barry gets stabbed, so I would make sure the reader is mature enough to handle the books content. Over all, I thought Barry was a very good book.
October 1, 2019
Having recently visited Switzerland and Austria, I am now intrigued by the stories of the St Bernard dog. I chose this one thinking my elementary level grandchildren might enjoy it. While I enjoyed it tremendously, learning in a very simple way about the dog and his lifesaving role in Switzerland, I'm afraid my granddaughters would be upset by the fact that the dogs were not able to save everyone in the mountain snow disasters and might be saddened by the loss of life mentioned in the story. I may now read the others in the series just for the fun of it.
September 2, 2019
Based on the true story of Barry dear Menschenretter, the Saint Bernard dog who rescued at least 40 travelers in the snowy Alps in the early 1800s, Barry is a tale that young readers will love. Told in Barry’s voice, he tells us of his love for snow, his talent for sniffing out and rescuing those lost or buried in an avalanche, and his ability to use his body warmth to keep those fallen people alive.
Includes an Appendix which gives us more history on the evolution of the Saint Bernard.
Includes an Appendix which gives us more history on the evolution of the Saint Bernard.
April 2, 2022
Fascinating account of Barry, the bari from early 1800s St. Bernard hospice. The first book in this series does not set the proper tone for the much better books that follow after it. My one complaint with this one, is that the account of the stabbing was a bit much, and I had to skim over some of it, as it didn't feel appropriate for my children. And the beginning was a bit strange, as it started as an account from a stuffed dog.... Other than that, very interesting book, and an incredible real-life dog!
July 22, 2017
Just like the other books in this Dog Diaries series, I also got to enjoyed reading this 3rd installment. There are a lot of interesting facts about the St. Bernard breed and this book is based from a true story. If you are dog lover as much as I do, you will love this book and it will a be good addition to your book collection.
October 27, 2018
great book for kids wanting a "chapter book" about dogs. This is full of factual information about the history of the Saint Bernard dogs and the geography of the Alps. These lovable giant dogs had a smaller build the 1400's which was new to me. I'd recommend this to kids especially. Read in one sitting, which wouldn't be the case for many, especially for kids.
November 21, 2018
Dog Diaries book three and this one is about the famous St Bernard that people have written about for a long time. This one is from the first person, from Barry's perspective - an imagined biography I guess, and like the other books in the series is well done and gives you a different perspective of the story - a decent read.
January 10, 2020
This is an awesome book. I would definitely suggest it to kids that like animals. Or any kids for that matter. I love the snow and i love St. Bernards and i love this story. After i read this book I realized I that these books are based on true story’s.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 16, 2020
This was absolutely fascinating!! I had no idea about the Saint Bernard Hospice, about Napoleon's army coming through the pass, or that Saint Bernards have been changed so much in breeding through the years. Lots of information!!!
November 23, 2017
It was good because it was about a dog
April 27, 2018
Emotional book
July 31, 2018
I'm not going to lie. I might have teared up at the end of this one while reading to Brigid. Dog stories... get me every time.
October 11, 2020
Such a lovely read, heartwrenching as it is in some places. My 8yr old and I love this
November 7, 2022
I got this book at my local library in Lincoln, it is a wonderful biography of Barry in Switzerland and talks about his whole life. God Bless all reading!
February 13, 2023
I read this book, thinking it would just be a fun read, but when I finished it, I found myself saying awe every time I saw a saint Bernard!
February 15, 2023
A quick little read for my boys and I. The boys enjoyed learning more about Saint Bernards!
April 10, 2023
My daughter loves this series. I appreciate how adult ideas like death are explained in a kid friendly way. This is a great little series.
September 6, 2023
The bloody attack part was too scary. - age 7
September 19, 2023
I would kill for this dog, 10/10, he is the best guy
December 7, 2024
An exciting and quick read for kids that teaches them about a true story.
November 3, 2025
such an interesting life this dog had!
November 8, 2025
Quick, easy, historical-fiction reads for 11 year old when she wants something light.
March 6, 2015
This is a great book for kids that are beginning to read chapter books to pick up. This book is the 3rd in a series of books told from the dog's perspective. This story takes place in the Alps. It is about a St. Bernard named Barry and his life at a hospice that was dedicated to helping travelers along the Alps. The job of the St. Bernard was to guide those that have lost their way as well as to assist with search and rescues. Barry was exceptional at his job as he detailed his exploits in great detail from chapter to chapter and year after year of his life. Many of the details in the story are very accurate when compare to what really took place for the St. Bernards on the mountain.
I would recommend this book for any student that is looking to move away from picture books( Grades 3-5). The sentence structure is easy enough to take on and the chapters are short. Additionally, the dog is about dogs which most kids adore. It does bring up death a few times and is honest and open about the deadly nature of avalanches. Therefore, I would also make sure the student you recommend this book for is mature and able to handle the subject matter.
I would recommend this book for any student that is looking to move away from picture books( Grades 3-5). The sentence structure is easy enough to take on and the chapters are short. Additionally, the dog is about dogs which most kids adore. It does bring up death a few times and is honest and open about the deadly nature of avalanches. Therefore, I would also make sure the student you recommend this book for is mature and able to handle the subject matter.
January 26, 2014
This is the second book from the Dog Diaries series that I've read--I'm really enjoying these! Each features a dog from history, and the story is told from the dog's point of view. This one tells the story of Barry, a rescue dog from the St. Bernard Hospice in the Swiss Alps. I read it in one sitting--a fascinating story, perfect for middle-grade readers, or as a read-aloud for younger kids as well. There are also a couple of sections at the end of the book--the history of St. Bernard dogs, owning a St. Bernard, and even a couple of photos of the hospice and of the preserved display of Barry that's in a Swiss museum. Cool story + factual background info = WIN. I know there's at least one more in the series, which I'll have to get my hands on... I hope Ms. Klise keeps writing these--they're fabulous!
August 30, 2016
August,Barry(Dog Diaries),By Kate Klimo
Barry is a Saint Bernard he starts out as a little pup but grows and grows to become a well "tracking dog" for say but the thing they track are humans out in the snow people would usually pass by in the snowy mountains the is a small "cabin" up in the mountains that takes in people and gives them food,drinks and shelter so kind of like a hotel but you can stay there until you can at least walk Barry's' job was to find these people and help them back because a dog can sense if something bad is about to happen and then... No spoilers so I'm going to stop here and say you should read this book it's really good in my opinion and I almost cried while read it so yeah read it if you want not pushing you to do it. The themes are if you can help someone do it because Barry helped a man who hurt him but Barry still helped him.
Barry is a Saint Bernard he starts out as a little pup but grows and grows to become a well "tracking dog" for say but the thing they track are humans out in the snow people would usually pass by in the snowy mountains the is a small "cabin" up in the mountains that takes in people and gives them food,drinks and shelter so kind of like a hotel but you can stay there until you can at least walk Barry's' job was to find these people and help them back because a dog can sense if something bad is about to happen and then... No spoilers so I'm going to stop here and say you should read this book it's really good in my opinion and I almost cried while read it so yeah read it if you want not pushing you to do it. The themes are if you can help someone do it because Barry helped a man who hurt him but Barry still helped him.
December 30, 2013
This book is very interesting and fun to read. I learned a great many things from it. I am recommending it to all of my students who like animals. It is an easy read, I read it in 1 hour. It is a series and there are two others as well. I will be telling one of the tutors I work with about this series as her student loves dogs and what better way to encourage reading than with a book about something he loves!
May 30, 2016
L and I really enjoyed reading this book. L enjoyed reading about how Barry saved many lives. Barry helped because he wanted people to survive the White Death. From an early age, as a puppy, he loved the snow. Barry was sacrificial when he served others because he put his life in danger many times to help save others.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 38 reviews