I read an e-arc courtesy of NetGalley. There is so much packed into this short book! Being true to yourself, accepting others while also supporting them to be their best and better selves, coming to terms with reality while holding on to hope!!

This book tells the story of Chance, a dog who is orphaned due to a hapless dog-sitter while her beloved owners are away. She lands in a shelter after some dangerous encounters. Over time, she learns to trust and the conditions for a kind of stability in the shelter.

There’s also the undercurrent of distrust due to the shelter also housing robo-dogs.

I enjoyed reading Dogtown! I am apprehensive about how sad the story may be to some sensitive readers. Hearing the back stories of the dogs gives a complete picture of the various ways dogs end up in a shelter. I wanted to adopt all of them and make their tail wag go super speedy fast.

This book would be an excellent read-aloud for elementary and middle school classes. It would be a great learning opportunity to help those sensitive readers (and others) process their feelings about what is happening or what had happened to the dogs. Dogtown is also a great read about making new friends even if they are so very different from you. And working together you can accomplish (practically) anything!

A must-have for all libraries!

#Dogtown @kaaauthor @choldenko #Dogs #KidLit #MGLit #SchoolLibraries #SchoolLibrarians #Read #Books #ReadBooks #DogStories

Fun, funny, and informative. Choldenko and Applegate know and love dogs and this story will enhance readers’ appreciation of their animal friends.