MY DOG MADE ME WRITE THIS BOOK

Nine-year-old Eric was thrilled to
get a puppy from the animal shelter. But Ugly has now grown into an
out-of-control dog.

The primary reason for that is Eric,
of course. It’s been far too easy for him to leave Ugly’s care to his busy mom,
so the young dog has never received any training, and now Eric’s parents and
his rather unpleasant, much older sister have lost patience with both boy and
dog. Worse is that Ugly prefers the person who feeds him, leaving Eric feeling
rejected and unmotivated. If Ugly isn’t to be sent away, Eric has to step up and
take over, a lesson he’s quite reluctant to embrace in spite of gentle—if
rather pedantic—guidance from his grandfather. Eric’s first-person narrative is
represented as a book he’s writing, apparently as self-motivated bibliotherapy.
With amusing advice from his friends and help from Maggie, an experienced dog
trainer, Eric eventually learns his lessons—and so does Ugly. Ugly’s
misadventures are believable, as is Eric’s avoidance of responsibility. Maggie
provides interesting dog-training hints, and the happy ending may inspire
readers to pick up Ugly’s next misadventure, My Dog Gets a Job, which publishes simultaneously.
Eric, his family, and Maggie present white in Lancett’s engaging illustrations;
he has at least one friend of color.