Thanks to Netgalley and HarperCollins for the ARC of this! I'm catching up on some of my Netgalley backlog and listened to the audio of this from my library in addition to reading from the ARC I was supplied.

I love zombies, dogs, and middle grade, but this one didn't click with me as much as I'd hoped. The pacing didn't work for me; the ending, especially, felt abrupt. I did like the characters.

This was requested when I first found out about NetGalley and I had requested so many ARCs that I could not get to all of them before they were archived. I really wanted to get to this one, as it seemed interesting. If I can find this somewhere for a reasonable price, I will try to get it! I am giving this book three stars, as I don't want to give it a good or bad rating, since I did not get to it and we have to leave a star rating.

Such a fun and unique story for middle graders! My son had a great time reading this one and he announced he would like to name his next dog Haru!

What a ride! This book had my heart in its clutches. I was on the edge of my seat with worry and anger the whole time. I absolutely loved this book, but I need a sequel!!!

Not for me, I don't know why. It has zombies, dogs, lovely friends in a small town fighting for the environment, everything my Ferngully loving 90s kid heart loves
But it never really clicked for me

This was a huge disappointment for me. I have LOVED Ellen's books in the past but this left so much to be desired.

This was so short it felt more like a short-story than a novel. The story wasn't very fleshed out, the characters were not good, and the ending was basically non-existent. I think that young kids will have a hard time staying interested in this story because the bulk of it is traumatic - a racist woman stealing a kids dog away and sending him away to be tortured and you see lots of animal torture and death. Like.... it was not a good time.

I grasp the concept that theme wise this felt like it was meant to A) show kids that there are different power structures outside of their home and B) being loyal to your family trumps everything else. But it just was not it. Haru gets sent away for "attacking" the land lady when she physically slaps a young boy who Haru is protecting. The police are just like "Welp, the dog has to go to the pound." but no one is going to do anything about a grown ass adult woman physically abusing a child? Ok then.

I think this needed a huge read-over with some fleshing out and another editing pass to make it more appealing to the demographic.

Haru is a Good Boy!

I love reading stories about a kid and their loyal dog. Bonus points go to Haru, Zombie Dog Hero, for the commentary on environmental disasters and rich people who do bad things.
Extra bonus points for the Haru POV chapters. These parts reminded me of Cujo (who was also a Good Dog).

This middle grade book has a lot of adventure, so much love, and zombies! For such a short story it sure feels like a bunch of stuff happened.
Younger readers, especially, may find the scenes in the research facility to be upsetting. Heck, even I was upset thinking about the animal research (poor Bruno!).

The ending felt rushed. I wanted a little bit more time with Luke and Haru.

This was an okay story with all of the characters. The main characters were Luke and Haru that was Luke's dog.

Luke and Haru are best of friends. Where ever Luke goes Haru is there to. When the landlord lady comes to visit and tell Luke's parents something.  Luke gets mad at the landlord lady and start to yell. That gets Haru in a protective mode. But when the landlord lady hit Luke. Haru goes after her. The landlord lady is mad and blame Haru for bitting her but he didn't. And she takes Haru away. Later Luke finds out that the lady didn't take Haru to the place that she said but to the factory that is doing something to dogs.

This was a fun story with a mystery within. It had action , adventure, and suspense throughout. It had a few giggles within. It was fun trying to solve what was happening in the factory.

I received a complimentary copy via Netgalley. This is my honest unbiased opinions.

This dog's loyalty knows no bounds!🐕

4.5🌟 stars
This middle grade story is an engaging, fast-moving adventure tale of a boy and his beloved dog Haru. From the very first chapter, it's full of action and villains (human, animal & supernatural) intent on tearing them apart. Pretty nasty things happen and some children may find the animal cruelty too disturbing, but I can see young readers being inspired by Lucas and his friends' example to action to protect animals and fight the pollution and questionable corporate policies in their own communities. And it was very easy to grow emotionally attached to brave, protective Haru, stray cat Penelope, rejected senior dog Bruno and young Lucas.

I thought it used the changed points of view between Lucas and some of the animals to really good effect.

Thanks to HarperCollins Children's Books and NetGalley for sharing a complimentary advance copy of the book; this is my voluntary and honest opinion.

This was a very fast read and I enjoyed it, but it ended so abruptly! I wanted more. Makes me wonder if this is the first book in a series as it was left open ended.

The premise of the book was so interesting. Haru is a beloved member of his human family, and has a very close bond to Luke, who is a great kid. Luke's family owns a store in a town, and the town has a big bad guy, Mr. Sinclair who owns the factory and is also a downright terrible person. We find out that Sinclair has hired scientists to do medical experiments and they are experimenting on dogs.

Haru gets sent away from his family for defending Luke, and ends up becoming one of the experimental subjects. The experiments get out of hand, and Haru must defend against some of the other animals that were subjected to far worse treatments.

The good:
- Haru was a great character. I enjoyed his POV chapters the best.
- The supporting cast was also great, particularly Penelope a stray cat that Haru and Luke befriend.
- It was fast paced.

The bad:
- Trigger warnings for animal cruelty which was very difficult to read. The animal abuse was horrifying and my heart ached for those poor dogs!
- The ending was open-ended. I felt like it either needed a bit more closure or more indication that this would be a series.

All in all, a good read for younger kids but please be mindful of the animal abuse that can be triggering for children.

Another great book for Ellen Oh. For an honest review, I received an ARC.

Haru is that dog everyone wants - loyal, friendly and protective. It is hard to do a review without spoilers......
Haru is kidnapped, Haru is saved....there are a lot of things within this - greedy, rich business men, greedy rich business men paying off everyone of a small town, paid off people disliking those in the town who cannot be bought, a young boy fighting for what is right!
Zombies are not a big part of the story, but it is there.

I really liked this authors Spirit Hunter series so I was excited to see that she had a new book out. I did like it but there was some things that I wasn't a huge fan of as well.

This has the third person POV from Luke the boy, Haru the dog, and Penelope the cat. It was fairly easy to follow the different POVs. Haru remembers the first time his humans brought him home and how him and Luke done everything together. They are the best of friends. He is a hero to his family and Luke's two best friends as he protected them from a scary raccoon. He is just the best dog. He also doesn't like it when someone is mean to his best buddy Luke.

Penelope is a stray cat that Luke and his family have sort of adopted even though the mother is allergic. They make sure she has food. One day she went missing and they worried about her then she came back but was covered in some really nasty gunk and it's a good think Luke and his family are super nice people and cleaned her up. It's because of this that she made friends with Haru and Luke.

In the town of Painted Lake there is a nasty factory that does really bad things that and has ruined their beautiful lake. The guy that owns it is an old man called Sinclair and he is looking for a fountian of youth type of serum and has scientist working on it. They do experiments on animals but nobody in town really knows what goes on there. Lukes friends, Ben and Max, mother works as a reporter and has been trying to find a good angle on the factory and to find out what is going on but her editor always shuts her down.

The lady who rents the building that Luke's parents have their store in is a horrible person and a bit on the racist side and hates Haru, so when he tries protecting Luke from her and lunges at her she falls and hurts herself and use that to call the animal shelter, only thing is the guys are not taking him to a shelter but to the factory!!

So I really liked Luke and his friends, his parents and even his friends parents, of course I loved Haru and Penelope as well. All were great characters. I was even okay with the big environmental/testing on animals issue we got within the story. My problem was that I thought it was a little to detailed on what happened to the poor dogs that turned into zombies. I mean, I know adults including myself that don't like that kind of detail in adult books when it comes to harming animals. (Their bodies steamed as if they were being baked, and large lumps began to form on their faces and torsos.) I mean gross, is it just me or is that to gross for a kids books? Could be just me. I feel like the author could have gotten the point across without the reader having to know exactly what happened to the dogs. :(

Don't get me wrong it was a fun story about a boy and his dog and the bond between them, but trigger warnings for animal abuse/experimentation big time! I know a lot of adults who will not be reading this because of that. I docked it a star for that, so maybe I am being petty, but it's my opinion and I don't like books that hurt dogs. I could handled it if he went into the lab and we are told something bad happened and he came out a zombie, I just don't need details!

Would I read another book about the zombie dog if it is a series? Sure because I feel like the worst part is over now he can just be a zombie dog hero. :) It left the ending very open ended which is why I don't know if it's a series or not.

Oh and also we don't get anything zombie until around 89% of the book which for a book called Zombie Dog Hero, I sort of thought there would be much more zombie hero action going on.

Would I recommend it? It was a decent middle grade book so if you don't mind the animal stuff and you think your kid can handle it, sure. Like I said it would have been 4 stars but I dock stars on adult books with harming of dogs in them, so middle grade is no different. :)

This book is the story of a boy and his dog. I think many a middle school aged child will enjoy this story. I know I did and I am much older than a middle schooler. This book shows the relationship between a boy and his dog. One that is not easily broken, not even a mad scientist or an old man set on finding the cure for old age will be able to break. This book is a very intense story it tells of animal abuse, chemical waste, racial discrimination, touches on self harm and guilt, and of course a zombie apocalypse. I do hope this is turned into a series, but the ending was a happy one, at least, as most stories of boy and dog end in tears.

A beautiful tale of a boy and his dog in an apocalyptic world. I absolutely loved how this book was written and I feel like my kids in class will thoroughly enjoy it as well. If you are looking for a heartfelt and often times funny story that is relatable to most pet owners I highly recommend it.

Plot: 4
Characters: 3.5
Writing Style: 3.5
Cover: 5
Enjoyment: 3.5

This book is written in third person POV through Haru Haru (doggo), Luke (11 years-old), and Penny (cat) and the style is pretty simple, making it a decent first chapter book read. A little too easy for me, but I'm over 35, heh. For those concerned about anything remotely vulgar, the following words are used: sucks, hell, shut up. It's set in Painted Lake, Virginia, which is always nice, having a book be set somewhere other than the typical Go Tos); it centers around Luke, his friends, and his family, and a business that is experimenting on animals. One detail I adored was that Haru and other animals can communicate amongst one another, but aren't understood by humans. I appreciate the topics presented, like environmental side-effects of a shady business, bonds amongst animals, as well as bonds between animals and humans.

Contains: Zombies (obviously), racism, racist adult hitting child, animal experimentation, self-harm in the form of hitting oneself and pulling hair (no cutting, just the hitting), premature infant + death.

I am uncertain if this will turn into a series, though either option works; standalone or further installments.

Great book. Fast paced, tense plot, and diverse characters. But this book is more than just entertainment, there is much to glean from Ellen Oh's writing. Get ready for micro-lessons in animal cruelty, capitalism, racism, and classism.

That being said, this is not merely a happy-go-lucky middle grade book. It is a deep, insightful one—intended to teach. This book introduces readers to some of the environmental problems caused by factories, it raises awareness of the corruption that can exist within big business, and it shines a spotlight on animal cruelty/testing. Because of some of these difficult topics, consider reading this book ahead of (or alongside) your children so that you can address any questions that may arise.

Wonderfully written and socially relevant.

What worked:
The majority of the plot follows Luke and stresses the tight bond he has with his dog, Haru. The pair do everything together, along with the Cole brothers, and Haru even saves the boys from a rabid raccoon. Some chapters focus on Haru where the dog is able to communicate with other animals. Readers will learn that most cats and dogs have little faith in humans and these animals try to convince Haru that his humans will eventually turn on him. This information creates a subplot as Haru hopes he can always rely on Luke and his family, especially when he’s dognapped.
The plot tells a story of big business versus society. Sinclair Inc. is the biggest employer in the county but it’s also the biggest polluter. The owner and his family own much of the property and media in the town so they’re able to control any citizen complaints and investigations. The lake contains so much hazardous waste that no one can use it for recreation anymore and much of the wildlife has been driven away. The company pays fines but it never really does anything about cleaning up its mess. These images will resonate with young readers as real stories like these have been happening in the world for decades. Most people feel they have no power against the money and influence wielded by big businesses so this book tells the story of characters who won’t be stopped.
Based on the title, readers may be surprised by the actual story. Haru is a normal, living dog for most of the story as he’s Luke’s loyal companion and protector. He enjoys the outdoors and eating sandwiches with the boys and they find ways to occupy their time during the remaining days of summer vacation. A wild cat named Penny is the first character to provide a hint of what’s to come as the last third of the book is in stark contrast to the earlier pages. The topic of zombies arises but not in the way readers might expect. The plot veers into a totally new direction with a large increase in action and tension. It will be a surprise if a sequel’s not in the future as issues are left unresolved.
What didn’t work as well:
The story is written quite literally so readers don’t need to infer much of what’s happening. The positive twist to this style is that it will appeal to younger middle-grade readers hoping to enjoy a simple story of a boy and his dog.
The Final Verdict:
The first half of the book may not immediately grab readers because it doesn’t seem to match the title. The second half makes up for it, although readers may want more finality in the conclusion. Overall, I recommend you give this book a shot.

After Harry saves his human from a wild animal, he is sent to the vet. However instead of putting him down, the vet sends him to a lab where he is given a serum that is supposed to make him immortal. However, it turns him into a zombie instead. Nevertheless, he returns home to his human.

A decent book but not my favorite.

I really enjoyed this! I am a sucker for anything with dogs or zombies so this was a must for me. I have to say I couldn't put this down even as a grown up I was completely sucked into this story and mystery of what was happening to the animals of this place. The way this was framed could have easily made this ya or even adult which is to sag I think people of all ages could really enjoy the story. The writing is of course more juvenile but that didn't make this any less enjoyable.
The characters were great as well. I especially liked the parts told from Haru's point of view. I could just feel how powerful this dogs love for his people was. All the side characters had such distinctive voices as well.
Overall this is just a solid read for all ages. Especially if you love dogs or zombies or both. I loved this and can't wait for me!

Extremely cute dual POV between a boy and his turning-into-a-zombie dog. Touches on real world things like pet abandonment, friendships, environmental damages done by careless factories, animal testing, racism, and how to deal with 'friends' who are more like bullies than actual friends. I loved the twist on the classic zombie lore to tie into more real world events, and while the book ends on a apocolyptic note, it's still strangely hopeful despite everything. Extremely quick read, and the short size will help make it more accessible to reluctant readers (I mean, besides the fact that this is a book about a ZOMBIE DOG). The colors that pop on the cover will also definitely draw in readers. (and for anyone who doesn't want 'the dog' to die int eh book, if you ignore the zombification of Haru, you are in luck! Happy ending, no spoiler I hope LOL) Loved it!