Boy's Best Friend

by Kate Banks, Rupert Sheldrake

Eleven-year-old George has a dog, Bart, who seems to know everything about him--from when he is feeling sad to when he will arrive home from school. George's new neighbor and classmate, Lester, also has a dog, Bill Gates, and Lester thinks he is the smartest animal in the world. When their teacher assigns a school science project about animal behavior, George and Lester decide to conduct an experiment based on the world-famous Rupert Sheldrake's experiments about dogs. George even has an e-mail exchange with Dr. Sheldrake to help him with the project--and he and Lester soon find out that, through a few simple experiments, kids can make scientific discoveries, too.

Award-winning author Kate Banks teams up with world-famous Ruper Sheldrake in Boy's Best Friend to create a book that's sure to be a hit with dog lovers and little scientists everywhere.

Genres: Animals, Middle Grade, Science, Dogs

224 pages, Paperback

First published July 14, 2015

About the author

Kate Banks has written many books for children, among them Max’s Words, And If the Moon Could Talk, winner of the Boston Globe–Horn Book Award, and The Night Worker, winner of the Charlotte Zolotow Award. She grew up in Maine, where she and her two sisters and brother spent a lot of time outdoors, and where Banks developed an early love of reading. “I especially liked picture books,” she says, “and the way in which words and illustrations could create a whole new world in which sometimes real and other times magical and unexpected things could happen.” Banks attended Wellesley College and received her masters in history at Columbia University. She lived in Rome for eight years but now lives in the South of France with her husband and two sons, Peter Anton and Maximilian.

http://us.macmillan.com/author/katebanks

Reviews

[Raghav]

Everyone should read this book it expresses everyone's feelings. It also talks about friendship and connection between each other. This book also describes the setting and the feelings of the person very good. It makes you fell like you are in the book, experiencing the story by yourself. Kathy Banks did a wonderful of connecting the filings of Gorge and Lester's feelings to average middle school students' feelings. The characters in this book do what normal people do in real life. They go to school, do experiments (or projects) like normal students. When I read this book, I could feel all of this stuff. And when It comes to the title of the story, I totally agree with the author. I used to have a dog of my own, but my dad gave him away. He was my best friend. In this book, the dogs are best friends to Gorge and Lester. In some parts of the book, I used to cry because I remembered my dog. Anyways, I think this is a good book and I hope other people will read it.

[Barbara]

Readers will know from the book cover what the topic of this book will be since it features two handsome dogs. Eleven-year-old George Masson loves his dog Bart who does everything with him. But he's missing his best friend Kyra who recently moved. Lester Shoe also recently relocated from Denver to Cape Code, and he misses everything about his old home. Lester has a dog named Bill Gates. Although the boys' relationship starts off on the wrong foot, eventually they find that they have quite a few things in common. Together, they participate in an experiment to see if their dogs really do know when they're coming home. Since the experiment they conduct is based on one by biologist Rupert Sheldrake, George writes to him for advice and suggestions, and he responds in a friendly and helpful manner. Late elementary and early middle grade readers will enjoy this one since it contains funny scenes but also growing self-awareness as both boys struggle to find their places and their way. The author makes it clear that sometimes things don't work out the way we would like them too. I simply adored Vivien, George's little sister, and her irrepressible attitude about life.

[Becky]

The story had very little to do with dogs, really.

[The Keepers of the Books]

When George meets his new neighbor, Lester, the two become friends over being dog owners. When their teacher assigns a school science project about animal behavior, George and Lester decide to conduct an experiment based on the world-famous Rupert Sheldrake's experiments about dogs. George even emails back and forth with Rupert. As the two boys come of age and their lives change, their friendship blossoms.

This book has intriguing, believable characters. The plot is engaging and genuine. A great introduction to Rupert Sheldrake and the scientific method, teachers will love this for the research benefit while readers will love the relationship between boys, friends, and their dogs. Overall, a great read for anyone who likes books about dogs, science, or friendship.

This book was featured on The Keepers of the Books' July Weekly Reads #2 episode. For more book reviews, recommendations, or online librarian advice, please visit us at: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCK3v...

A copy of this review may also be found at: kissthebook.blogspot.com

Please Note: A copy of this book was given to us in exchange for an honest review. All opinions expressed, however, are our own.

[Cindy Mitchell *Kiss the Book*]

Banks, Kate, and Sheldrake, Rupert, Boy’s Best Friend. Pgs. 213. Farrar, Straus, Giroux, 2016. $15.99. Language: PG (some “a” swears), Mature Content: G, Violence: G

This book has intriguing, believable characters. The plot is engaging and genuine. A great introduction to Rupert Sheldrake and the scientific method, teachers will love this for the research benefit while readers will love the relationship between boys, friends, and their dogs. Overall, a great read for anyone who likes books about dogs, science, or friendship.

EL. MS. OPTIONAL. Reviewer: Jessica M, Library Media Specialist, Olympus Jr. High
https://kissthebook.blogspot.com/2017...

Review cross-posted on reviewer's personal Goodreads account

[Sean Harding]

Banks Vault #29
Another of Banks's longer books and again very well written, with believable characters and a really engaging plot and the ideas about animals and dogs in particular are really interesting .
A good book for all ages.

[Logan.S]

I loved the concept and the emotional impacted it had on me.

[Miriam]

Cute book, but I love every book that has anything to do with dogs:)

[Mcvalens]

Fun. Two boys record when their dogs start to wait for them to come home from school.

[Karen Arendt]

A great story about dogs, science experiments, friendships, and moving. Lester just moved to Cape Cod from Denver and is missing his home. George's best friend Kyra moved to North Carolina, and he is missing her.

George notices that his dog Bart always seems to be waiting for him when he gets home, so he decides to complete a science experiment. He keeps a log of the data he collects to see how often his dog is waiting for him. Lester, who also has a dog, Bill Gates, does the same experiment. George emails Rupert Sheldrake, a famous biologist, with questions about his experiment and Rupert emails back, adding another layer to the experiment.

Lester struggles with adjusting to his new home, repeating his mantra daily: Moving is fun. Change can be positive. It isn't helping. Lester just wants to go back to Denver, and even meeting George isn't working. Not until Lester decides to go back to Denver on his own, does he realize that Cape Cod might not be so bad.

What I like about this story is the many layers that work so well. Lester's experience in moving and starting with new friends is real and heartfelt. The science experiment about dogs knowing when their owners are coming home raises good questions about science experiments and data, even wondering if scientists cheat in their results. The communication with Rupert Sheldrake adds to the science experiment in the form of a mentor and finding out more information. George misses his best friend after she moves yet he finds a new friend in Lester and begins to come to terms with Kyra's move. A great read aloud for science as well as friendship in general.

[Martha]

Twelve -year-old Lester is unsettled when he has to move to Cape Cod and meet a whole new group of kids. Feeling awkward and friendless in the beginning, it is fortunate that his teacher gives the class a science project to do. Science is a passion for Lester, and after hearing about the animal behavior project a classmate George is doing with his dog, Lester is fascinated and decides he'll do the same project. The boys stroke up a friendship and with their mutual admiration for their dogs and their project, they enjoy spending time with their dogs together, discussing their data and progress. This is a good choice for science oriented kids. George's inspiration for doing his animal behavior project comes from a real book he read by Dr. Rupert Sheldrake about dog behavior. Readers will learn a lot about this subject and if they have a dog or other animal, they might be inspired to try behavior projects of their own. Recommended for science minded, dog loving readers.

[Cristy]

This is a great story about an eleven-year old boy named George. He has a dog named Bart. Bart is not your typical dog. He knows what George is feeling and when he will get home from school. There is a new classmate named Lester, who thinks his dog, Bill Gates is the best. The two decide to conduct an experiment based on biologist Rupert Sheldrake’s research with dogs. They are on their way to making some great scientific discoveries as well as learning a thing or two about life. I would recommend this for any collection looking for more animal stories to add to their collection. There is also a great ending with Bart giving the reader a timeline of how and when he knows when George will be coming home.

[Serenity]

*I received a review copy of this book from the publisher through my district library services*

This was a fun little book. I think animal lovers will enjoy it. There is a sad part, that, honestly, didn't impact me much because I just didn't feel that connected to the characters. However, I appreciate that the authors encourage young readers to participate in science and it may open reader's eyes to the wonders around them.

[Laura Phelps]

Two boys, both with dogs that they enroll in a scientific study called “Dogs that know when their owners are coming home,” navigate friendships and family life. I loved that the study is actually real and the scientist behind it co-authors this via a series of letters to one of the boys. A fun read!

[Donna]

A fun, and a bit sad, story based on real-life experiment done by Rupert Sheldrake. Two boys become friends through their dogs and a behavior experiment. One boy is dealing with being the new kid and the other begins an email correspondence with Dr. Sheldrake.
Realistic characters, based on a real experiment, and it involves dogs. Can’t go wrong. This quick story will appeal to many students.

[Allison]

Meh. Not the best book I've ever read, and having the coauthor as a character just seemed awkward and self-aggrandizing. And of course, because it's a book with dogs, we all know what happens... See No More Dead Dogs.

[Rachel]

Unique approach and has great connections to teaching scientific inquiry but the overall story is stilted and plodding.

[Stacey]

Dry and boring. Read it but took me a while.