Star Dog

by A.M. Lightner

On the same night that a UFO is seen zooming away from the farm, Holton and his friend Willy find a strange black dog lying near the road--a victim of a hit-and-run driver.

The dog has soft, luxurious fur and strange eyes, and Willy insists that it came from the vanished space ship.

"Don't be ridiculous," Holton scoffs.

But weeks later--when Holton's pet collie gives birth to a remarkable black pup--it looks as though Willy is Right!

the pup is like no other dog on Earth

Genres: Science Fiction, Animals, Young Adult, Fiction, Childrens

204 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1973

About the author

A.M. Hopf, or Alice Martha Lightner Hopf, is the author of more than nineteen books for young readers, among them science fiction novels. Her books include The Day of the Drones, Doctor to the Galaxy, and The Rock of Three Planets. She also had a strong interest in natural history and entomology and has written several non-fiction children's books on the subject (published under the name Alice Lightner Hopf).

Reviews

[Jessica]

Boy, did I love this book when I was in elementary school!

A young boy's purebred collie gets loose one night, the same night that their neighbor accidentally runs over a strange black dog that has an extra set of legs- arms, actually- on its chest. Shortly afterward the collie gives birth to a single puppy, a black puppy that can communicate with the boy telepathically. Knowing it would be dangerous for Rover (yep, they name him Rover, "'cause his ma's such a rover"), the boy hides the dog's talent until he reaches college, when they are both exposed and have to face not only government agents who want to use Rover, but also some aliens who have returned to find their missing pet . . .

So. Much. Fun!

[Elisabeth]

I read this in elementary school (when I read every single horse story and most of the dog stories in my school library) and the story has stuck with me ever since. I only recently was able to recall the title and find it (via interlibrary loan) and I look forward to reading it again!
Update - Every bit as delightful as it was when I read it as a kid. Lots of fun. Adventurous, believable, avoids the juvenile-fiction trope of adult = bad. A great story.

[☆ deanna ☆]

A telepathic space dog! Um, yes, I need that in my life. That's so cool. It was such a fun and easy-going read that I genuinely enjoyed. I wish I was a reader when I was younger because I could definitely see myself liking this a lot in elementary school. Great book. If you adore dogs and sometimes fantasize what it would be like to communicate with them, then this is for you. This book takes a fun, action-packed turn that really gets me on my toes for the main character, Holten and Rov. It is filled with anticipation by the end that truly makes it feel like an epic adventure between a special dog and his owner.

Ohh and the way they found each other using their telepathy was borderline amazing! It was so fun to read.

[J]

Star Dog is the telling of a story of a high school senior as he prepares for and then goes off to college all with questions from a single night that proves to be much more memorable than it probably should have been.

The story itself isn't really too special with episodes that resemble parts of the much younger films Beethoven + E.T.. Meanwhile the characters are decently put together although having some major flaws even for those that are meant to be rather smart. Otherwise the story moves pretty quickly while isn't that bad even being as outdated as it was.

The only major issue I had was how the book ended. In a way it was totally unexpected but then at the same time it felt like it was rushed and overplayed just enough to not really be enjoyable for it also didn't fit right.

All in all it was rather an interesting read and rather outside my genre thus a rather surprising find.

[Stacy]

I loved this book when I was a kid and I swear I have a soft cover in the garage. Not sure so I am buying a copy I found on Ebay for my son. I know he will love it!

[Debbie]

I read this book while I was a lot younger and I remember really enjoying it, even though Sci-fi wasn't really a category I would usually have read. I would love to read this book again as an adult and see if I still enjoy it as much, however from what I remember I would recommend. The story of a boy and his dog that turns out to be a very special companion: perfect reading for those awkward teenage years.

[Jamie Voetsch]

I just grabbed this to read after my dog passed and was pleasantly surprised!

Really, really good!

[First Name]

First book I can really remember reading and understanding.

[Ryan Kovacsik]

Read this over a weekend as a young lad in the 80s. I remember absolutely loving it. It even made me cry - I had to go find my mother for comfort. A fond childhood memory it is.

[Jaden]

This is truly one of the best books that I ever read. This is also the only book that I ever read about a Telepathic Spacedog. I really enjoyed the storyline of this book. and I wish this book could have been made into a series. For it could have had the potential to be a really good book as part of a series.

[Roseanne Wilkins]

I read this as a teen and loved it. There are only used copies available, but I plan to hunt one down so my kids can enjoy it, too.

[Joe Middleton]

I first read this as a kid, had very fond memories of it and re-read it as an adult and loved it.

[t m]

Honestly, I don’t even remember if this book actually was great, I just remember that I thought it was. I remember checking it out of the school library when I was in the 3rd grade and I thought it was amazing. Reading this book could very well have been the beginning of my love affair with science fiction. I still think of this book with such fondness and gratitude. So glad my school had it.