Perfect for fans of Big Nate, Diary of a Wimpy Kid, and the previous Stick Dog books, Tom Watson’s hilarious series continues with Stick Dog Crashes a Party—a festive adventure complete with cake, ribs, fireworks, and very special guests!
IT’S TIME TO PARTY—STICK DOG STYLE!
Stick Dog and his hungry pals have found plenty of tasty treats at Picasso Park before. But it’s never looked like it does on this dark, dark night. Strings of white lights, colorful fireworks, and an endless buffet of amazing food have transformed the park into a food-snatching wonderland.
There’s a party going on, and Stick Dog, Mutt, Poo-Poo, Stripes, and Karen are ready to crash it. But how will they do it?
It will take a top-notch strategy, some good luck, and a little help from two charming cats to complete their mission. It’s another smart, hilarious romp for Stick Dog and his team of strays.
Tom is the author and draws the original sketches for all the Stick Dog stories. He lives in Chicago with his wife, daughter and son. They also have a dog named Shadow. Tom did not want to name the dog Shadow. He wanted to name him ‘Put Your Shirt On.’ It’s a long story. Sometimes when Tom is visiting schools, he shares the story.
Tom’s first jobs out of college were in politics. He worked for U.S. Senator John Glenn and as the Chief Speechwriter for the Governor of Ohio. He has also worked in marketing and advertising. He likes writing books for kids a lot more than writing speeches and other things for grown-ups. He thinks kids are way smarter than grown-ups.
Stick Dog and his hungry pals have found plenty of tasty treats at Picasso Park before. But it’s never looked like it does on this dark, dark night. Strings of white lights, colorful fireworks, and an endless buffet of amazing food have transformed the park into a food-snatching wonderland. There’s a party going on, and Stick Dog, Mutt, Poo-Poo, Stripes, and Karen are ready to crash it. But how will they do it? It will take a top-notch strategy, some good luck, and a little help from two charming cats to complete their mission. It’s another smart, hilarious romp for Stick Dog and his team of stray
I enjoyed this book, insofar as I think I would have loved it as a kid and I enjoyed having the emotional uplift on an otherwise drab day. I don't think it was quite as charming as the first Stick Dog book I read, but it was still fun and entertaining - if also a bit questionable in some aspects.
As an adult, I find it difficult not to instinctively poke holes in fantasy world logic, so sometimes I had to stop and remind myself that the reason the animals were so humanized and knew things they shouldn't was because the story of stick dog isn't meant to be real. The entire premise is that Stick Dog is a story being told by a young character for a writing assignment. With that in mind, all the illogical bits fall away and it's just plain fun. They're not even "real" animals in the context of the Stick Dog universe, therefore the fact some dogs appear to be able to read and others know what rockets etc. are isn't all that big of a deal. The child character knows what these things are and is too young to understand that his animal characters shouldn't; if he were a real child, I'd praise creativity instead of scrutinizing details.
Seeing Stick Cat make an appearance was cool, and I appreciated the small bit of exposition added for those like myself who haven't read all of the Stick Dog or Stick Cat books. (In fact, I haven't read a single Stick Cat book, so it would've been very confusing without a small bit of exposition to explain how he knew the dogs.) For a child reader, this would be useful since they can just grab any of the books from their school library without having to worry which ones are checked out and which ones they haven't yet read. It's something I enjoyed about Goosebumps and American Girl books in my own youth; you could read any volume and it'd still make sense out of order.
Overall, if I had a child, I'd introduce them to the Stick Dog and Stick Cat books in the hopes of encouraging them to love reading. I certainly think these books could do the trick, even for reluctant readers... so long as they like animals, of course.
My rating: Three stars for Goodreads, which by their system means "I like it." Four stars for Amazon, since their rating system considers three stars to be negative and my intention isn't to rate this book negatively.
Stick Dog and his pals are hungry. They are hoping for some more pizza so they venture down to the pizza place's parking lot. They don't score any pizza there, but they do see Stick Cat and hear about a wedding party Stick Cat and Edith's owners are hosting at the park the next night. Can they find some tasty treats there?
This is a crossover book for both Stick Dog and Stick Cat fans. It's the wedding of Stick Cat's owner and neighbor, as well as a huge food feast for Stick Dog and friends (somewhat due to Stick Cat's help when he realizes how hungry the dogs are). Stick Dog and Stick Cat are supernaturally patient with their painfully dimwitted friends (SO PAINFUL!). Kids will love the silliness of some of these animals. Thank goodness Stick Dog and Stick Cat are there to save the day or I don't think they'd make it.
Stick Dog returns in another volume of his food-themed adventures, this time leading his friends to a wedding feast. Stick Dog is the brains of the operation and often has to explain simple concepts to his pack, all of whom lack common sense and knowledge of the world, which contributes a lot of humor to the book. The short chapters feature illustrations and large text, making for a quick read. Simple drawings meant to look like penciled stick figures on lined paper add more humor to the narrative. Children in grades 3-5 who enjoy hybrid novels like Diary of a Wimpy Kid will find a new series to laugh about with Stick Dog.
Stick Dog crashes the wedding reception of Goose and Tiffany (the owners of Stick Cat and Emily). If you thought Stick Dog and his friends were funny in the first book in the series, you will probably enjoy this adventure too. Stick Dog is still the kind leader who loves to eat and includes his friends. Similar plot with dogs coming up with various plans to get food and references made to previous books.
So another quest to find food brings a surprise for our hungry friends. Stick Cat and Edith (who I don't like, but my son finds to be a GREAT inspiration) come to town and Stripes is beside herself with joy. With some help from Stick Cat and in a way Edith our pups get the BEST tummy filling meal of their lives. Oh and Karen almost gets her tail. 😉
Stick Dog and his gang are happy to get food at the Park. One night the animals find a party! There are lots of lights and so much FOOD! This book is about Stick Dog trying to get the food from the buffet and having to get help from some cats! (review by Sterling, 5th grade)
I love when the different dogs submit their ideas for plans to get food. It's so funny and then Stick Dog's reactions (or when he's stunned and doesn't know how to react) has me rolling on the floor. I liked how the author brought in the Stick Cat characters. Enjoy!
This is the best Stick Dog yet!!! I like that Stick Cat was there to help Stick Dog, Poo- Poo, Stripes, Karen and Mutt with their mission!! Although Edith was probably not the most important cat there.
I loved the book, it's a great book for anybody who liked the previous stick dog books or just wants a nice story about dogs, adventures and fun plots. The appearance of stick cat was nice, (and edith) even though it was slightly different from the other stick dog books, it still had the same overall idea and plot, the dogs still had crazy plans to get the food, that wouldn't work, then stick dog comes up with a plan that works and they get the food in the end, still it's still different from the other books Like I said it's a good book, but I'd say it's more for Kids then adults. I really liked it and I look forward to the next stick dog book
In his never-ending quest to find food, Stick Dog Crashes a Party, along with his friends Stripes, Karen, Mutt, and Poo-Poo, of course. At the party, which is celebrating a wedding, they find an old friend who happens to be very helpful.
Lots of laughs, lots of hi-jinks, and lots of convoluted conversation, has this Stick Dog offering shaking your head as you laugh-out-loud.