Funnier and more fast-paced than Hatchet, Paulsen's new book follows the trials and tribulations of 12-year-old Carl as he tries to "train" his off-the-grid, dumpster-diving, build-it-yourself, barter-don't-buy father....with a pamphlet on dog training. It's a charming story that moves along at a fair clip, but both Carl and the world Carl lives in often feels more dated (1950s-1970s) than it really is intended to be (2020).

Based on the description, I wasn't necessarily expecting something along the lines of Hatchet, but I also wasn't quite prepared for something like The Diary of a Wimpy Kid either.

There was a lot of entertaining quirky zaniness in the story that made me want to keep reading, and Paulsen's imagination truly runs wild here. I found myself laughing quite a few times as I read it.

I absolutely love this book. Gary Paulson has been one of my favorite authors whom I had frequently used in my classroom.
The characters are unique . The father tinkers with junkyard and garage sale finds to barter for whatever he needs. He is quirky and likeable. Carl is a middle school boy trying to fit in despite his father’s behavior. Then, there is his friend, Pooder, who is fairly goofy.
This is a hilarious book and so easy to read. That makes it a very quick read because the language is fluid, by that I mean it seems to flow and makes you want to not put it down. I know readers will enjoy every page.

This book is exactly what I've come to expect from Gary Paulsen. Humor, action, heart, and a great story.. My students and I love his books. He will always have a place in my classroom library.

4.5 stars *
This book was so, so ridiculously adorable!
I'm not going to lie, as soon as I saw a new book by Gary Paulsen I jumped all over it. I (like every other child ever) was completely obsessed with Hatchet, and my husband ever more so than I was, and I wanted to read his new book (and brag about it to my hubby 😂) My kids are still very young, too young for middle grade books, so honestly this is the first book of this age range that I've read since I actually was this range. But it was so adorable! I can't wait to read this to my boys when they are older. And the water skiing scene had me laughing so hard I couldn't breathe.
Seriously wonderful book, and the ending was so sweet.

Story written in Angel Peterson style with that laugh out loud humor Gary Paulsen is known for. Carl is tired of their way of living from garage sales, dumpster diving, and bartering. He decides to use a pamphlet, How To Train Your Puppy to reprogram his dad. Beginning to care about girls, pink overalls just don't cut it. His misadventures include their pit bull, Carol, and his best friend, Pooder.

I am an adult who enjoys reading middle Grade. It has been a recent discovery in my reading life. As such, I really enjoyed this book! The relationship between father and son was really cute and they learn a lot from each other. I found myself smiling throughout the entire book. Really a cute one! I well recommend this for families to read together, or for other adults like me who enjoy a good cozy middle Grade!

This first hand account is a humorous and eco-friendly adventure about a boy, his free-thinking dad, and the influence a puppy-training pamphlet had in reworking Carl Hemesvdt’s father so his son can become lookatable. This laughable and short account all happens in the summer as twelve year old Carl and his friend Pooder go on a mission to retrain an eccentric dad.

You see Carl’s body is changing and he is pretty fed up with his father's relentless pursuit of an off-the-grid existence. Truly, Carl’s dad is a brilliant man, but dumpster-diving for food, scouring through trash for salvageable junk, and wearing clothes fully scrounged from garage sales is getting old. He is understandably worried about what schoolmates and a certain girl at his new school might think of his circumstances and off beat attire. Adding to the drama or rather craziness, he is encouraged by his off-kilter best friend, Pooder. Carl implements the principles laid out in a puppy-training pamphlet in order to alter his dad’s mindset. Well as you might imagine the results of puppy training techniques offer some bizarre results when used on a human man.
As the story comes to an end, I think you’ll find the result heartwarming due to the bind between a father and son.

Our beloved Gary Paulson has done it again... another book to surely delight any third grader.

The newest title by Gary Paulsen is a laugh out loud look at the relationship between a father and son. Carl and his dad don’t see eye-to-eye on much these days. Carl wants new clothes while his dad is happy to barter for too small shirts and pink overalls. Their differences result in a lot of humor and some hurt feelings.

Paulsen's book is spot-on for teens who live in the normal USA, where big cities and subways are not part of the experience, making do with what they have, dealing with parents who have their own strong vision of what life should look like, and needing more room to grow into adulthood.

This is a young-adult version of the dry and often slapstick humor for which author Patrick McManus is well-known: life in all its glory and goof-ups.

The flavor of the narrative isn't for every YA or middle grade reader, but it will be just right for many. Thanks to NetGalley and Farrar, Straus and Giroux (BYR) for a chance to read an advance copy. Coming October 5, 2021.

Who doesn't or hasn't wished that their life was different and that their parents were cooler? Teens are embarrassed by their parents, it's a part of the maturation process. Gary Paulsen's book, "How to Train Your Dad" is a joyous celebration of what one young man will try to do to become "lookatable". This book is a joy to read and may be a close runner up to my favorite, "Road Trip". Share this book with teens and younger. Making light of the Great Parent/Teen Divide is the first step in making it tolerable.

Thanks to the publisher for the e-ARC of this novel.

I loved everything about this book. It's one of the funnier books I've read in a long time. I loved the writing style, the humor, Carl, Pooder, and Carl's dad. This book was just what I needed to break up a long stretch of heavy reads. I have a few adults I can't wait to recommend this one to!

How to Train Your Dad gives the reader so much to think about while also being wildly entertaining. All three major characters (Carl, his father, and Pooder) are unique and interesting. Their personalities, behaviors and opinions/mindsets feed off each other well. The concept of training your father to change and do what you want him to by using puppy training positive reinforcement techniques is wild. To me, it is important to the story that Paulsen incorporated the varying viewpoints about this method. While Carl thinks this is a wonderful idea, Pooder expresses concern as to it being an acceptable thing to do to someone. Pooder also serves as a "voice of reason" so to speak as compared to the narrator Carl. This is especially true when he points out thing like how others would love to have a father like Carl's. This also goes to show that sometimes our own perceptions are clouded. There's so much worth discussing about this book that would lend itself to a read aloud, a classroom book club or even a family read. In addition to the parts that make it so discussion worthy, the plot itself is entertaining and clever. The ending wraps up rather quickly, but nicely in a way that is very hopeful for compromise within the family as well as opening the door for using what they learned to make improvements upon their community as well. The character arc takes Carl from a little self-absorbed, close minded, and embarrassed of his family circumstances to a little more open, selfless, and understanding of his father and a movement to live less wastefully without being preachy at all.

Twelve year old Carl has always been ok with his father's "live off the grid" and recycle lifestyle until now that is. In elementary school, no one cares that you're dressed in cast off clothes, go dumpster diving on a regular basis and live in a trailer which is basically parked in a constant mud zone; but middle school and wanting the adoration of a certain young lady have drastically changed Carl's view of his father's lifestyle. With best friend and walking encyclopedia, Pooder by his side, Carl sets out to retrain his father into a more conventional dad. Keeping a scientific journal to record failures and successes, Carl tries adapting a book on puppy training for use on his father resulting in not quite the outcome he expected. With vivid imagery, dialog that stays true to each character, and a good dose of vocabulary building, "How to Train Your Dad" is sure to become required reading this summer.

It's Gary Paulsen. Read it. Enjoy. Give to reluctant readers. You're welcome.

The master has done it again. It's fun, it's funny, it's a little rough around the edges. This man is a hero to children for a reason. Just trust me and pick this one up for your child.

Hor to Train Your Dad was painful to read but in a good way. I can't say I can fully get behind the book and its message, but I know plenty of people who would agree with 12-year-old Carl. Carl and his dad live off-the-grid, and his dad has a minimalistic view of life, but it's a life he is happy with--Carl is not. Carl wants to impress a girl, have the things other kids have and have a more "normal" dad. Rather than talking to his dad, Carl decides to "train" him as though he were a dog. In the end, Carl is happy and Dad is miserable. What does this really show the reader? I disliked Carl rather than feeling bad for him. Yes, his life was hard, but he was also very selfish in his thinking. That's not what a family does. Dad thought not only of Carl but of everyone who relies on limited resources. In the end, both learn a lesson, and I can only hope Carl wises up and learns that everyone marches to the beat of their own drummer--including him.

Thank you NetGalley and Macmillan Children's Publishing Group for the opportunity to read an advance reading copy.

Do not go into this Paulsen book looking for another exciting survival series like Brian’s Saga/Hatchet, nor will you find a gut-wrenching, based on truth historical fiction like A Soldier’s Heart. What you will get when you read “How to Train Your Dad” is a the kind of laughter that will lighten your heart and keep you smiling even after you finish the book. Nearly 13 year old Carl loves his dad and his best friend Pooder wishes that he was 1/2 as lucky in the dad department, but when junior high looms, living on all things recycled, homegrown and/or home-built doesn’t make a person very “lookatable” or so says Carl. Thus begins an attempt to adapt dog-training techniques to rebooting a dumpster diving dad and turning him into a man who works a regular job, receives a paycheck and buys life’s necessities from retail stores. The reading/vocabulary level and use of sarcasm and puns make this best suited to those in grades 5-8 and is highly, highly recommended for libraries serving that age group. For full disclosure, there is one use of the word “damn” but no sexual content or human on human violence. There is, however, plenty of dog vs skunk, Harley vs. human, and maybe even hang glider vs human violence present.

I’m a big fan of Gary Paulson’s books because they are some of the few that resonate with my reluctant male readers. As with most of his books, there is very little female interaction, and in this case, the only “girl” is the protagonist’s “crush” who pops in just to serve up the happy ending.
I think my middle school students will feel a definite connection with Carl and his best friend, Pooder. These boys’ adventures and stories are (mostly) relatable (a few somewhat “unbelievable” but …) and (mostly) authentic. The kids sound like kids, but there is an occasional disconnect between the supposed age of our main characters and their behaviors/language. These two boys are very clearly straddling the line between kid and teenager and it’s endearing to read, as an adult.
Even if my students can’t relate to all of the situations, I do think they will cringe and cheer along with Carl and Pooder as they solve the problem of how to “train” Carl’s dad.
I’m not sure why it took me so long to get through this book, I’ll admit to getting bored along the way, and putting it down - sometimes for a couple of days at a time.

Gary Paulsen once again captures the voice of a 12 year old boy practically to perfection. I say practically because the main character is, compared to most preteen boys, a little on the overly sweet, kind, thoughtful side. That’s where his buddy, Pooder the philosopher, and his rodent killing dog, Carol, come in. To balance the sweetness with some Paulsen sass.
Gary Paulsen is a master of word manipulation and exploration, discovering new ways to say even the most mundane expressions/phrases. Part of the joy of reading Paulsen’s books is mining out these nuggets of cleverness.
And the message here…self sustainability is real and this book provides a springboard for future discussion.

Carl’s father marches to the beat of his own drum. He is a engine tinkering, dumpster diving, garage sale barterer. These traits cause Carl to wish his dad was more “normal”. When a dog training pamphlet catches Carl’s eye, he decides his dad needs a little obedience training of his own. With the help of his best friend, Pooder, Carl begins training his dad to be “normal”. The training process leads to many humorous mishaps. Middle grades readers will enjoy this book but some of the vocabulary is advanced. At times the text is wordy for younger readers.