Book Review: Ghost Dog Secrets

I'm so happy to have run into another excellent book by Peg Kehret.  She does an awesome job of hooking her reader and keeping them turning the pages.  That is exactly what happened for us.  I originally planned to read this prior to attempting it with my boys, but when Sean saw the book was about a dog he asked me to read it out loud to him.  The first day he wouldn't let me stop reading until we got to page 78.  He was most definitely hooked!

Ghost Dog Secrets tells the story of a young sixth grade boy, Rusty Larson, who notices a dog chained up in a yard without food, water, or shelter.  He feels sorry for the dog and goes back to the house again to try to feed the dog.  Convinced that the dog is mistreated and neglected, Rusty contacts Animal Control to report it, but they request proof.  Thus he takes photos of the dog at the same time every day and documents the date on the photo. A ghost dog appears and begs him to intervene. When Rusty realizes that the owner is abusing the dog (probably kicking it or beating it with a bat), he decides to take matters into his own hands and takes the dog back to his fort.  From this point on, every page propels you into another as Rusty encounters Mean Man Myers (the owner) and fights to keep the dog.

While Trevor didn't listen to the whole book, he was listening with rapt attention when we reached the climax of the story.  Even my husband got sucked in. It was a nail-biter and we were super-concerned for Rusty's safety.  The supernatural elements of the book were tastefully done and not over-emphasized. It was a fabulous book and one I would highly recommend for boys or dog-lovers of any age.