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Irish Lockdown #2
A Dog for Lockdown
Dermot Greaney turns thirteen on the day schools in Ireland are closed due to the Coronavirus Pandemic. The Dublin boy tries to get on with life, coping with online school, his mother battling a pre-diabetic condition and the community lockdown. When the senior man next door is taken ill, Dermot promptly volunteers to care for his large dog, which might be the best decision he ever made.
In the lively dog Sheila, Dermot finds a friend at last. Someone to be on his side, even when his mum insists on serving him salads and the class hooligans start cyber-bullying him. In return for his care, Sheila teaches him responsibility – but will he learn in time? Sometimes our own actions cause us trouble. And sometimes we’ll find happiness unexpectedly.
This informative, positive thinking story for young people is packed with dog lore, photos and a recipe. Illustrated with photos by the author.
Another atmospheric story of young adults and challenges from the No.1 Bestselling author of RODEO FINN and A PONY FOR QUARANTINE.
More Irish Lockdown stories:
"A Pony For Quarantine"
In the lively dog Sheila, Dermot finds a friend at last. Someone to be on his side, even when his mum insists on serving him salads and the class hooligans start cyber-bullying him. In return for his care, Sheila teaches him responsibility – but will he learn in time? Sometimes our own actions cause us trouble. And sometimes we’ll find happiness unexpectedly.
This informative, positive thinking story for young people is packed with dog lore, photos and a recipe. Illustrated with photos by the author.
Another atmospheric story of young adults and challenges from the No.1 Bestselling author of RODEO FINN and A PONY FOR QUARANTINE.
More Irish Lockdown stories:
"A Pony For Quarantine"
102 pages, Kindle Edition
First published August 31, 2020
14 people want to read
About the author
Clare O'Beara
25 books371 followersClare O'Beara is a tree surgeon and expert witness, and a former national standard showjumper. She has qualified in multimedia journalism, data visualisation, media law, environmental, social and governance law, artificial intelligence, and ecology. She has served on the Royal Dublin Society's Forestry and the Environment Committee.
Clare is an award–winning writer, award-winning blogger, and award-winning photojournalist, whose journalism work has been published in more than thirty countries. Her credits include Writing.ie, The Register.com, Mensa Magazine and Mensa International Journal. Photo credits include the Daily Mail and Extra.ie. Editor of Inside DBS, the official blog website of Dublin Business School, and the Sustainable College blog.
2022 - Winner, Journalism Relating to Health, National Student Media Awards.
2021 - Winner, Blog/ Vlog Of The Year, National Student Media Awards.
2021 - Nominated, EPA Award for Journalism Relating to The Environment.
2021 - Dublin Business School Volunteer Of The Year.
2020 - Second, Dublin Business School Create Contest.
2014 - Winner, Arkady Renko Short Story Contest held by Simon & Schuster.
https://the-dark-pages-blog.blogspot....
2013 - Winner, Print Journalism in Ireland's National Media Awards.
2012 - Runner-Up, Print Journalism, National Media Awards.
Top 500/ Vine Reviewer: Amazon.co.uk.
Top 1% Goodreads Reviewer / Top 1% Goodreads Reader.
The MacGuyver for the Hugo Awards at Worldcon Dublin 2019.
Clare is an independent publisher who works to make her e-books Carbon Neutral. She was Vice-President of the DBS Sustainability Society (Winner, Most Improved Society in 2021) as part of the Green Campus movement. DBS was Runner-up Green Campus in the National Education Awards, 2021. She was President and Editor of the DBS Journalism Society (Winner, Blog /Vlog of The Year, National Student Media Awards. 2021.)
Clare reads extensively and reviews books for Fresh Fiction.com. She contributed a story to A Pint And A Haircut (Lon Dubh, 2010), an anthology in aid of Concern's Haiti fund.
She lives in Dublin with her husband and cats.
Clare is an award–winning writer, award-winning blogger, and award-winning photojournalist, whose journalism work has been published in more than thirty countries. Her credits include Writing.ie, The Register.com, Mensa Magazine and Mensa International Journal. Photo credits include the Daily Mail and Extra.ie. Editor of Inside DBS, the official blog website of Dublin Business School, and the Sustainable College blog.
2022 - Winner, Journalism Relating to Health, National Student Media Awards.
2021 - Winner, Blog/ Vlog Of The Year, National Student Media Awards.
2021 - Nominated, EPA Award for Journalism Relating to The Environment.
2021 - Dublin Business School Volunteer Of The Year.
2020 - Second, Dublin Business School Create Contest.
2014 - Winner, Arkady Renko Short Story Contest held by Simon & Schuster.
https://the-dark-pages-blog.blogspot....
2013 - Winner, Print Journalism in Ireland's National Media Awards.
2012 - Runner-Up, Print Journalism, National Media Awards.
Top 500/ Vine Reviewer: Amazon.co.uk.
Top 1% Goodreads Reviewer / Top 1% Goodreads Reader.
The MacGuyver for the Hugo Awards at Worldcon Dublin 2019.
Clare is an independent publisher who works to make her e-books Carbon Neutral. She was Vice-President of the DBS Sustainability Society (Winner, Most Improved Society in 2021) as part of the Green Campus movement. DBS was Runner-up Green Campus in the National Education Awards, 2021. She was President and Editor of the DBS Journalism Society (Winner, Blog /Vlog of The Year, National Student Media Awards. 2021.)
Clare reads extensively and reviews books for Fresh Fiction.com. She contributed a story to A Pint And A Haircut (Lon Dubh, 2010), an anthology in aid of Concern's Haiti fund.
She lives in Dublin with her husband and cats.
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
October 20, 2020
Excellent story of life learning during quarantine
Caring for an ill neighbor’s dog helped Dermot become knowledgeable and capable. He became fit from exercising the dog. He wrote a Facebook page about dogs a Veterinarian liked, which helped his self-confidence. He planed a special project for the next school year with his science teacher.
Although fresh food was in short supply, he ate what he was given to help avoid pre-diabetes, like his mother. He learned to make salads, and a recipe with many variations is included in the book.
I liked this book as the family was a mother and son who were not rich. It explained how they lived and made choices to make ends meet. It was realistic. I also liked the nonfiction facts about dogs. Pictures of dogs show different breeds and explain what they are trying to communicate.
O’Beara always includes nonfiction information in her fiction books, which I appreciate. I always learn something new.
Caring for an ill neighbor’s dog helped Dermot become knowledgeable and capable. He became fit from exercising the dog. He wrote a Facebook page about dogs a Veterinarian liked, which helped his self-confidence. He planed a special project for the next school year with his science teacher.
Although fresh food was in short supply, he ate what he was given to help avoid pre-diabetes, like his mother. He learned to make salads, and a recipe with many variations is included in the book.
I liked this book as the family was a mother and son who were not rich. It explained how they lived and made choices to make ends meet. It was realistic. I also liked the nonfiction facts about dogs. Pictures of dogs show different breeds and explain what they are trying to communicate.
O’Beara always includes nonfiction information in her fiction books, which I appreciate. I always learn something new.
December 18, 2020
Dermot and his mother live in a council house, which gives any school bullies plenty of material right there. Fortunately, Dermot has learnt to keep his head down, but it’s a lonely life as a result, with only one friend, who can’t be relied on. When he hears the dog next door scraping to get in her house for food and water, he wonders what’s going on. It turns out that his neighbour has been taken into hospital, and there’s nobody to care for the dog. Can Dermot take her in, just for a while?
The way Ms O’Beara turns this situation around is an excellent lesson in finding good in the most difficult circumstances. Small changes turn out to have big positive results, but this all comes across in no way preacherly. I did learn something about the Bible in the course of the funeral they attended, though.
I think a Dog for Lockdown is even better than a Pony for Quarantine, in that it focuses on a thirteen year old finding himself. My only criticism is that it finished too soon!
Overall, both these books are excellent, helping us understand how Covid-19 restrictions affect people differently. Whatever our own experiences, it is good to see how other people cope. It’s all very real, assisted by photos of Ireland in lockdown, too.
The way Ms O’Beara turns this situation around is an excellent lesson in finding good in the most difficult circumstances. Small changes turn out to have big positive results, but this all comes across in no way preacherly. I did learn something about the Bible in the course of the funeral they attended, though.
I think a Dog for Lockdown is even better than a Pony for Quarantine, in that it focuses on a thirteen year old finding himself. My only criticism is that it finished too soon!
Overall, both these books are excellent, helping us understand how Covid-19 restrictions affect people differently. Whatever our own experiences, it is good to see how other people cope. It’s all very real, assisted by photos of Ireland in lockdown, too.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews