Task #12: A book in which an animal or inanimate object is a point-of-view character

[Bonnie G.]

It is sort of cheating since it is a short story, but I loved Fox 8

[Chickadee]

I just finished Sea of Rust. A dystopian, science fiction novel that is told from a Robot's point of view. I really enjoyed it.

[Kate]

I'm giving My Name Is Red a shot, but it's such slow going so far! Incredibly dense. If I can't get into it soon I'm going to pick something else.

[Erica]

There's also The Original Adventures of Hank the Cowdog. It's a series. There's so many of them.

(I don't care for them personally but that's mainly because I don't care for books from animal's perspectives typically, but I think everyone else in the elementary school liked them when we were forced to listen to them.)

[Alexis]

I was considering The White Bone for this, but I don't know. I've heard some mixed things. Has anyone read this?

[Brittany]

I ended up going with The Art of Racing in the Rain since it's being made into a movie that is coming out later this year.

[Meredith]

I wonder if anyone's considering The Overstory for this one?

I'm really (!!) not into talking animals, but I want to live up to the spirit of the challenge and get outside of a human-dominated narrative. I saw an article in the "Sierra Club" magazine that refers to this book has having been written "from a tree's point of view."

I'd love to hear what others think -- could this book fit the bill?

[Kris V]

Watership Down all day every day

[Tammy]

Meredith wrote: "I wonder if anyone's considering The Overstory for this one?

I'm really (!!) not into talking animals, but I want to live up to the spirit of the challenge and get outside of a hum..."

I would be curious to hear from anyone who has read this, too. A review I read about it says the author "has found a way to cast trees as central characters." I can't quite tell by reading the GR reviews. Wishtree seems pretty highly recommended on here and is a told from a tree's POV, I think.

[Monica]

Just read Semiosis which has a plant on an alien world as a main character. I'm going with that.

[Haley]

I'm not sure if Good Omens would apply for this...
We do get a dog's point of view but the narration is all omniscient so I've been torn

[LYNDSEY]

Planning to read The Book Of The Dun Cow.

[Alexis]

I didn’t know what to do for this one. Then I remembered that Call of the Wild and White Fang by Jack London have been sitting on my shelf for ages. Problem solved!

[Malvina]

I’ve chosen The Lucky Galah by Tracy Sorensen. Yes, POV is the galah! Slightly odd but also rather heartwarming. A very unusual read, I’m enjoying the novelty of it.

[Whitney]

I read The Travelling Cat Chronicles and definitely recommend it for anyone who has felt a special bond with a cat.

[Emerging]

I'm reading Way of the Cat and Black Beauty and will see which one I finish first. So far I am enjoying "Black Beauty" more. I also like the idea of Flush, but the library did not have that one.

[Sally]

LYNDSEY wrote: "Planning to read The Book Of The Dun Cow."

OMG. Loved this one! (Fantastic for reading aloud, too.)

[〰️Beth〰️]

I am going with Hollow Kingdom. It’s the zombie apocalypse from the view point of a wise cracking, Cheeto eating domesticated crow after his owner looses an eye,.

[Megan]

I read Animal Farm by George Orwell for this prompt.

[Teresa]

I read Bewitched and Betrothed, a cozy mystery with a goblin/gargoyle mix familiar who transforms into a miniature pet pig around non-magical folk.

[Kris V]

HOLLOW KINGDOM!!!!!

[Janell]

Hmm... would a catlike sentient alien be ok?

[Mya]

Janell, it's not how I would interpret the challenge. Lots of books have aliens whose form is reminiscent of various earth animals. That's not the same as being an inanimate object or an animal.

[Krista]

I read Raptor Red for this, which was better than I thought it was going to be. Husband picked it up at a paperback sale years ago.

I just finished another book for the Mount TBR challenge - The Rescue Team. It's a light hearted, happy ending, middle grade book that's a quick read. When I realized it was told from the point of view of a dog abandoned at an animal shelter, I realized it would fit this category too.

[Sravani]

Would The Complete Maus count for this?

[Milena]

Sravani wrote: "Would The Complete Maus count for this?"

It may be a bit of a stretch, but I used it.

[Kris V]

Hollow Kingdom all day every day.

[Heather]

Do you think an AI narrator counts for this prompt? I am thinking of counting "Thunderhead" by Neil Shusterman, since The Thunderhead (one of the narrators) is essentially a very intelligent computer program . For those who have read it, do you think this works, or is the Thunderhead too "human" for5 this prompt?

[Cameron]

Heather wrote: "I am thinking of counting "Thunderhead" by Neil Shusterman, since The Thunderhead (one of the narrators) is essentially a very intelligent comput..."

I think this is a bit of a stretch given that The Thunderhead gets so few pages, but I'd count it because the plot can't move forward properly without those pages.

[Lauredhel]

I can't see The Raven Tower here yet - it's absolutely marvellous.

[Shar]

Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH by Robert C. O'Brien

[Sally]

Tammy wrote: "Meredith wrote: "I wonder if anyone's considering The Overstory for this one?

I'm really (!!) not into talking animals, but I want to live up to the spirit of the challenge and get..."

I just finished The Overstory, and I don't think the trees qualify as POV characters. Sorry. I'll be using Song of Increase: Listening to the Wisdom of Honeybees for Kinder Beekeeping and a Better World instead. It's nonfiction, but the author includes the bees' POV.

[steph]

i agree, i hate talking animals normally, too.
but...
try fox 8 by george saunders. even if it does not qualify for the challenge (i am not participating), it is short and great! the audible version is read by himself but cannot be a replacement for reading the book, but a great combination.

[Bonnie G.]

loved Fox 8 and it was what I used.

[Alexis]

I don’t mind talking animals, but I enjoyed Jack London for this challenge, mostly because the animals are POV, but don’t talk.

[Debbie]

I’ve read some of the Redwall series by Brian Jacques. These are wonderfully descriptive novels with animal characters. I absolutely love these books.