Dog Gone

by Cynthia Chapman Willis

Twelve-year-old Dill (short for Dylan) is desperately trying to keep her family from falling apart. Her father is always at work, her mother is gone, and their dog, Dead End, seems to be here one moment and missing the next. And big trouble is brewing. A wild pack of dogs is destroying local livestock and property, and the sheriff has ordered them to be shot. Is this where Dead End has been disappearing to? How far will Dill and her best friend, a boy nicknamed Cub, go to uncover the truth, and hold together the last strands of a family that seems to be unraveling?

Genres: Dogs, Animals, Fiction, Realistic Fiction, Adventure, Childrens

224 pages, Hardcover

First published April 29, 2008

About the author

Cynthia Chapman Willis lives in Branchburg, New Jersey with her family and as many animals as they will tolerate and she can manage. DOG GONE (Feiwel and Friends, 2008) is her first middle grade novel. BUCK FEVER, her second middle grade novel, is due out October 27th, 2009.

Reviews

[Allison Lundgren · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ok, so I got this book at a book fair in 5th grade. I read the back, and I bought it because it sounded okay. I'm not a big reader, but this book was so awesome that I managed to read it in three days. Dog Gone really send messages about not lying and, quoting Dill's Granddad,"Facing life head on," in a way that makes you cry in the end. I would definitely recommend this book to anyone, not just dog lovers, and country lives. The cliffhangers at the end of the chapters kept me reading until I had finished the book.
P.S. When I read it I had no tissues, so have tissues handy

[Ethan · Rating 5 out of 5]

The book Dog Gone was in my opinion a great book overall. In the beginning you are put in the household of Dylan MacGregor nicknamed Dill for most of the book and in her household lives her dad Lyon, her Grandad who goes by G.D and a dog Dead End Named after the road G.D found him on. For the first five chapters you are not told what happens to Dill's mom but you know there are uneasy feelings about her you eventually find out she was a victim of cancer. The main conflict is that she has to find how to deal with her mothers death while also trying to find her dog that has been accused of killing the local farm animals in the end they find the dog and give him away to the dog obedience teacher and her dad lyon gives her a new puppy.

I could relate to this book because my grandmother had cancer and having to cope with that and still go on with life was the same struggle dill had with her mothers death.


One very good thing about this book was all the conflict happening at once and it all flowed together in a very detailed way with only a 214 pages. One thing that I disliked about it was that in the beginning it was a little confusing.

[Dee · Rating 2 out of 5]

Well this book upset me.....The main character has trouble with acceptance with the truth in regards to her mom, her grandfather & her dog. This results of this are far reaching. Ths character just made me angry & I nearly quit reading it. This is a young adult book but I think the age group should be 14 & up due to some of the content which is brutal

[Twyla · Rating 4 out of 5]

My favorite part was that the end was happier ending than it could have been. My least favorite part was when Dead End kept disappearing.

[Lily · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is really good if you don't get sad easily and like happy endings.

[Kate K. F. · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book tries quite hard to tell the story of Dill, Dylan who is recovering from her mother's recent death from cancer with her father and grandfather. Things are complicated as the dog, Dead End that her mother adopted is suspected of being part of a pack of dogs that are attacking livestock. Dill spends most of the book focused on Dead End as a way to try and fix things without really dealing with them. Some parts of this book are well done, the dialogue and relationships between the characters ring true but the narration in Dill's voice suffers from too much folksiness. Clearly the author is trying to capture the sound and spirit of rural Virginia but all the folksy metaphors actually get in the way of a sweet story of a family.

This book would be a quick read for a nine to twelve year old and girls interested in horses will connect to Dill's love of them and all animals. The grief is dealt with in an honest manner and little detail is gone into about the hard journey of cancer, which would make this a possible read for a younger reader. Overall this is a sweet book that gets in its own way by trying too hard to use rural slightly folksy language and instead veers almost into twee.

[Charlyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

The death of Dill's mother has splintered the family. Her father no longer eats meals at home, her grandfather tries to draw Dill's feelings out, and the family dog, Dead End, disappears frequently, returning covered with manure and blood. When the word goes out that dog packs are chasing and killing area livestock, Dill's life is monopolized by her fear that the dog her mother loved so much is in danger. Her longtime best friend Cub tries to stand beside her and help her, but it's a tough job when she begins to lie to her family and Dameon Thornburn begins to threaten both of them.

This is a moving story of a young girl whose mother's death has left her devastated and unable to deal with the grief.

[Julie · Rating 1 out of 5]

Early on I did not like the book for a myriad of reasons, including: (1) it was not at all the story I expected from reading the cover, and (2) the subject matter of a parent dying from cancer is personally difficult. I skimmed the book because I still wanted to know what happened to girl and dog, but was extremely disappointed that I bothered. In the story, the need to face life's difficulties head on is often mentioned; however, the author did not face her own novel's end head on! Problems are left unresolved and what resolutions there are are pathetic and unrealistic. The message of trying to find a better home and situation and training for a dog as opposed to euthanasia is great, but all heartache from that situation and other problems solved by a new puppy? Not cool!

[Tori Albitos · Rating 5 out of 5]

My cousin had this book in her room, and since I love dogs, I read it. At first I was kinda bored and confused with it, but as you get into the story you'll understand all the tiny things. This is a great book, because only great books and great authors make me cry about words on a page. I do wish they'd explained what happened with Skeeter after all this mess, though.

[Sa · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is such a sweet story. I love this book. It’s a great read. Dog Gone is full of suspense, especially for a young reader. One of the things I loved about this book is it's timelessness. It reads like a classic from a long time ago.

[Shannon Hitchcock · Rating 5 out of 5]

On the cover, Newbery Honor Winner, Ann M. Martin, writes, "I couldn't put this down. More than a dog story, this is a many-layered tale of loss and grief. I completely agree Ms. Martin's assessment. This book will find a special place in the heart of pet lovers.

[Kay Mcgriff · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bring on the tissues. This is one dog story where the dog doesn't die, but there is plenty to tug at your heart. Dill is stubborn, but she loves deeply. In the end she must learn to face life's problems head on instead of running from them.

[Debbie · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent children's book that explores loss, grief and healing through the eyes of a young girl and her dog.

[Robyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fabulous book for kids 9 and up to adulthood. A fantastic story line supported by memorable characters and spectacular writing. I'm just glad Cindy assured me of a happy ending!

[Elizabeth · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this novel. Cynthia has a way with words that makes the story wrap itself around you like a warm blanket.

[Kathy · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a good story with lots of reasons to have a kleenex nearby. Dealing with the death of her mother and blaming her dad, Dill bonds with a dog.
Nice dialogue, fits the southern setting.

[Tawnya · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cute story--lots of discussion topics for curious little minds.

[Kerri · Rating 3 out of 5]

This story is about a girl struggling with the death of her mother. It's a sad book, but ends well.

[Alison John · Rating 2 out of 5]

Was an ok book!!!!!

[Vanessa · Rating 5 out of 5]

So tragic

[Nicole · Rating 4 out of 5]

Didn't think I would enjoy this that much... But I did.

[Critter · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a pretty good book, but it was really sad.

[Erika]

Cynthia Willis came and met w/bookclub after reading this