A DOG WORTH STEALING

by William Corbin ‧ RELEASE DATE: Sept. 1, 1987

A wilderness area in Oregon is the background for an adventure that starts a boy on the path to maturity. Jud Linden is angry with his father for staying away over his 16th birthday and stomps out to take the promised hike into the wilderness on his own, leaving his young stepmother by herself. He is also angry with himself for losing his temper and getting into a fight at school. Deep in the wilderness, he finds a marijuana field guarded by a gorgeous dog, and a young woman who talks to Jud because she is lonely while her boyfriend is off getting supplies. Jud learns that the dog is about to be cruelly trained to be a killer; he plans a rescue that succeeds, but later the owner takes the dog back. In the end, the girl frees the dog; it returns to Jud. Jud learns to deal with his own anger and with his stepmother's dependency and fear of dogs, and he also manages to face up to the moral issues of stealing the dog and taking blame for the fight, growing in the process from a rather selfish boy into a ressponsible young man. This is a good old-fashioned boy's story with a contemporary setting and current concerns; but it is badly marred by two chief female characters who are stereotypes of pathetic stupidity and dependency. The addition of a sensible older sister is not quite enough.

Pub Date: Sept. 1, 1987

ISBN: N/A

Page Count: 192

Publisher: Orchard/Watts

Review Posted Online: N/A

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 1987

Categories: CHILDREN'S