What do you think?
Rate this book
The Big Deal
Sam Bates is delighted when his parents allow him to have the puppy of his dreams, but, as Wally begins to grow--and grow--into an enormous dog, Sam begins to worry about how to control his pet.
80 pages, Hardcover
First published August 1, 1992
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 of 1 review
August 19, 2013
This book brings back a lot of memories of my childhood in the late '80s and early '90s, especially since the voice is so typical of that time. In that way, I found this to be a comforting read. Within the pages, I relived dealing with being shorter than a lot of my peers and wanting nothing more than to get just a tad bigger. I also experienced a great amount of nostalgia, remembering what it was like to have a special pet that was more like a best friend than those around me, even when that pet screwed up...several times, actually. Many times I would worry that one more mistake could be it, or maybe that my pet was simply too stupid. At the end of the day, things worked out.
Something else I like about this story was the language. Sometimes Herzig uses a phrase that is novel and captures a description while surprising me by seeing a comparison I had not previously encountered. It is really refreshing to see a story that does not rely on cliches in its telling. This story only halfway accomplishes this goal, however. The characters are defined by a couple of details that are reiterated time and again, such as the tall, dumb athlete, the pint-sized spitfire, and the ever-working father. The personality switch of the mother and the father and the desire of certain characters to break their molds is refreshing and somewhat redemptive, but it also falls somewhat short in execution. I also found the ending to be unsatisfyingly abrupt.
All in all, this was an okay book with a lot of heart. Knowing how much kids love animals and stories that relate to their struggles, I could see kids enjoying it. Despite the hefty page count, it is large-print and chapters are short, so it can be finished in an hour or two.
Something else I like about this story was the language. Sometimes Herzig uses a phrase that is novel and captures a description while surprising me by seeing a comparison I had not previously encountered. It is really refreshing to see a story that does not rely on cliches in its telling. This story only halfway accomplishes this goal, however. The characters are defined by a couple of details that are reiterated time and again, such as the tall, dumb athlete, the pint-sized spitfire, and the ever-working father. The personality switch of the mother and the father and the desire of certain characters to break their molds is refreshing and somewhat redemptive, but it also falls somewhat short in execution. I also found the ending to be unsatisfyingly abrupt.
All in all, this was an okay book with a lot of heart. Knowing how much kids love animals and stories that relate to their struggles, I could see kids enjoying it. Despite the hefty page count, it is large-print and chapters are short, so it can be finished in an hour or two.
Displaying 1 of 1 review