Helpful Score: 1
This was not my first read by this author, who passed away in 2011, but it's my favorite. Diana Wynne Jones, who wrote the Chrestomanci and Dalemark series, and "Howl's Moving Castle," was a British fantasy writer. "Dogsbody" is the story of a young girl living an almost Cinderella-type existence, who finds a friend in a red & white dog that she takes home. This dog is no ordinary dog, but the physical embodiment of the Dogstar, Sirius, living in a dog's body. Their story is beautiful and moving - it made me cry! This book will stay on my short list of favorite books that I have ever read, and I've read a lot over the last 40 years.
FRAMED! The Dog Star, Sirius, is framed and found guilty by his heavenly peers for a murder he didn't commit. His sentence: To live on the planet Earth in the form of a dog until such time as he can carry out a seemingly impossible mission--the recovery of a deadly weapon known as the Zoi.
The first painful lesson Sirius learns in his lowly earthly form is that humans have all the power. His second lesson is that even though his young mistress loves him, she can't protect either of them from the cruelty of those other humans. But the third lesson is the most difficult of all: That SOMEONE out there will do anything to keep Sirius from finding the Zoi . . . even if it means destroying Earth itself.
This is an A L A Notable book. Young adult level. Great story
The first painful lesson Sirius learns in his lowly earthly form is that humans have all the power. His second lesson is that even though his young mistress loves him, she can't protect either of them from the cruelty of those other humans. But the third lesson is the most difficult of all: That SOMEONE out there will do anything to keep Sirius from finding the Zoi . . . even if it means destroying Earth itself.
This is an A L A Notable book. Young adult level. Great story
Lots of fun. My grand daughter has started reading it. I'm hoping for it in Hardcover as a "keeper"
A very unique story about a living star trapped on earth in a dog's body. I love this concept, and the book was one of my favorites in grade school.
I liked the last Diana Wynne Jones books I read so much that I was eager to pick this one up, especially since it had won some award or other (checking) OK, it was an ALA Notable Book and Commended by the Carnegie Medal. Fine. However, unlike many of Wynne Jones stories, I felt that this was definitely a kids book.. I would recommend that any small child who has a dog read it for the insights into how a pet dog thinks. But I didnt really get into it that much.
The story is that Sirius, the Dog Star, is condemned by a court of his fellow luminaries for an alleged crime, and is sentenced to live out his life in the body of a dog, here on earth. Hes born into the form of a puppy which gets adopted by a young Irish girl, Kathleen, and becomes torn between helping her in her bad home situation and remembering/trying to accomplish the quest that has been assigned to him on earth, to find a lost object of power and redeem himself in the view of his peers.
As I said, its very effective in recreating the thought processes of a dog, but the story wasnt really complex or sophisticated enough to find satisfying, for me.
The story is that Sirius, the Dog Star, is condemned by a court of his fellow luminaries for an alleged crime, and is sentenced to live out his life in the body of a dog, here on earth. Hes born into the form of a puppy which gets adopted by a young Irish girl, Kathleen, and becomes torn between helping her in her bad home situation and remembering/trying to accomplish the quest that has been assigned to him on earth, to find a lost object of power and redeem himself in the view of his peers.
As I said, its very effective in recreating the thought processes of a dog, but the story wasnt really complex or sophisticated enough to find satisfying, for me.
Although writing for several decades, Diana Wynne Jones' fantasy is now becomming very popular. In this book Sirius, the immortal dog star, is falsely accused and banished into a dog's body on earth. Kathleen, a youngster with a lot of home problems, unwittingly adopts him. He must retrieve the one clue that will clear his name but as a puppy he only dimly remembers all this. Kathleen gets pulled into helping him. Terrific fantasy story, humorous, extremely real characters with a lot of human faults, and many good ideas to think about.
I found this book at my local bookstore way back in the summer of 1979--I read and re-read it until it finally, sadly, fell apart. What a treat it is to see it listed here on Amazon, with so many rave reviews. I agree with a comment made by another reviewer, that Diana Wynne Jones is one of the more underrated authors of children's literature, particularly of fantasy/science fiction. The story shows a complexity not normally found in books aimed at the "tween" set, a delight also in that it can be enjoyed by older children and adults as well. In a personal note, it bears the distinction of being the only book which inspired me to write to the author (back in 1980), to thank her for penning such a wonderful novel.
Oh, I REALLY enjoyed this book! Though this is targeted toward the young adult market, I think it is a story for all ages! The premise of a celestial being trapped in the body of a dog on Earth is definitely unique, but the way it is written, though it is a fantasy novel at heart, there are a lot of realistic details about a dog's life. Anyone looking for a unique spin on a dog book would definitely enjoy this! The dog/star's perspective was wonderful and just completely unlike anything else I have ever read. A wonderful, mythic sort of tale... just terrific!
