From the Newbery Medal-winning author Sharon Creech, comes a novel about life and death, love and loss, and self-discovery through the power of poetry. Love That Dog is written as a journal by the main character in free-verse form. The narrative is told from the perspective of Jack, a young schoolboy who struggles with writing poetry for his teacher Miss Stretchberry. Initially, he resists the creation process. He moves from a feeling of embarrassment about his work to an appreciation of poetry’s form. As the novel progresses, Jack’s entries become increasingly complex. He begins to enjoy and connect with the work and write about his own life, including his relationship with his father and his dog, Sky. Jack begins to take pride in his work and is inspired by an author, whom Jack invites to visit the school. Increasingly, Jack seems to find and accept himself and his circumstances and develops hope for his future.

In following Jack’s character arc, the reader may reflect upon their own circumstance, their connection with other people or animals, and be inspired by Jack’s newfound joie de vivre. The reader will learn that progress is made through slow steady effort, and perseverance has its rewards. Lastly, the novel indirectly shows the power of poetry as an expressive medium.

While the plot is relatively simple, I particularly enjoyed the unique writing style. The short sentence format forced me to consider only a few words at a time. Readers will need to resist the urge to race through the short text and instead savour the story and rhythm. After finishing the book, I found myself digging deep in my personal files to find some poetry that I had written when I was much younger and rereading my own work, finding a voice of mine I had not heard for a long time.

Overall, I think this was an excellent and unique book. I believe it would be suitable for students around the grade 6-8 range. It deals with universal themes of love, loss, and personal discovery that are relatable for everyone at their level of understanding. Go ahead and give it a read. You’ll love that book!