The book "A Dog's way home is a very touching book. This book is about a dog named "Tam" trying to get back to his owner named "Abby." They got separated in a very bad car accident and have been looking for each other ever since. Tam is trying his hardest to find his way back home and all Abby can do is just wait, but is trying. And in the end, they are finally reunited.

I would highly recommend this book for people who love dogs. This book is very surprising and adventurist. It's a kind of book you can't keep your eyes off of. These are the reasons why this is a good book for people to read.

I'm a sucker for books about the bond between a young girl and her dog!! This one alternates points of view between Abby and her dog, Tam. ( )

Recommended Ages: Gr. 4-8

Plot Summary: Abby and her parents are over 200 hundred miles north from home for Abby to compete in the SE Virginia Junior Agility Competition. She easily wins the competition and is sorry her beloved dog must be crated on the long car ride home because her mom is afraid to ruin her new truck. Not long after they get on the road, a deer runs in front of their car and the crate goes flying out of the truck, down the hill, and into the river. Tam barely manages to escape and loses his collar and tags in the process. But he survives and he wants to be back with the girl. Tracking her scent, he makes it back to the road where she was standing and waits for her, but they already headed back home after leaving the hospital. Holly promises that they can come back and call for him, but Ian's truck breaks down and they have doctor appointments and can't make it anytime soon. Abby calls shelters along the route on a daily basis, but Tam doesn't show up. Miserable, Abby doesn't give up but does spend slightly less time thinking about it, especially after her dad gets a music contract in Nashville and the whole family is relocated. Now Abby has to concentrate on how to make friends in a new school, especially when it's so big and urban compared to her old school. Will she and Tam ever be reunited? Will she ever make friends at her new school?

Setting: Blue River Mountains, VA and NC, see map on first page after table of contents; Harmony Gap (made up), NC and they move to Nashville, TN

Characters:
Abby (Abigail Andrea) Whistler - 11 y/o, 6th grader, was intimidated the first few days at her new school but eventually convinced her classmates to play games at recess, seems to have the Sight where she can imagine parts of what is happening to Tam
Tam - Abby's Shetland sheepdog, unusual red markings, becomes good friends with a young female coyote who travels south with him and teaches him how to hunt and saves his life when they cross a river, very sad when a hunter catches the coyote
Ian Whistler - Abby's dad, itching to be a famous musician, travels a lot, loves his family and calls regularly
Holly Prescott Whistler - Abby's mom, more sympathetic towards Abby and her losing her dog than Ian
Meemaw - AKA Agnes, Abby's grandmother, they moved in with her after her husband passed away, has the Sight where she can visualize what is happening
Olivia McButtars - 6th grade, Abby's best friend, tells it like it is, loves to read, moved in with her grandparents when her parents got lost in a small plane over the ocean
Cheyenne Rivers - AKA Queen, 8th grade, has little dog named Dusty, daughter of famous country star, no one goes anywhere near her when she starts at public school, rumor is that she was kicked out of her other schools, she actually loves to read and is shy and misses the countryside, has a brother who loves maps
Mr. Richard - Cheyenne's chauffeur

Recurring Themes: Agility Championship, dog training, pet care, musician, fitting in, friendship, reading, being true to who you are, dogs, family, love, car problems, determination, perseverance, wild vs tame, coyote, mapmaking, maps, "Sight"

Controversial Issues: none

Personal Thoughts: I read this in one night, so I think that means I liked it. It was suspenseful, had a decent amount of character development and action, and wasn't overly predictable, besides the fact that they would reconnect at the end. I was hoping for a bit more information about what happened after they were reunited. Tam was in such bad health that I'm curious to know if he would still be good at the agility competitions.

Genre: realistic fiction, animal fiction, only piece of fantasy is the "sight"

Pacing: fast - I read the last two hundred pages in one night because I wanted to know how Abby and her dog got reunited
Characters: some chapters are told from dog's perspective, but the dog acts like a dog
Frame:
Storyline:

Activity: ( )

Good book, but it's sad. ( )

Kids who love dog-books best will devour this, but others looking for a sweet, and sometimes scary, adventure story will be reeled in. Abby, a 6th grade girl from North Carolina and her sweet Sheltie Tam, are inseparable. Coming back from an agility contest, they are in a car crash along the Blue Ridge Highway. Disorientated and injured, Tam is separated from his family. Will he find his way home? With hundreds of miles of wilderness and danger between Tam and home, he starts on his trek, unaware that Abby, brokenhearted, is moving to Nashville while her father is pursuing a recording deal. Faced with the trepidation of being a new kid in a city school, Abby worries that she'll never know the real meaning of home, of friendship, or of love again. Told in alternating voices, this story succeeds to tell the struggles of Tam and Abby convincingly and endearingly. ( )