“We have this dog now.”

From Art Corriveau’s How I Got a Life and a Dog.

Eleven-year-old Nicky is far from excited when his mother returns home with a German Shepherd named Reggie. Not only has this giant dog now become his unrequested responsibility, Nicky has to share their tiny apartment with this dog that his mother claims is trained as a seeing eye dog. Although despite Nicky’s repeated questioning, nobody seems to be able to answer why Reggie is no longer a working dog. However, while walking Reggie one day, Nicky meets some old men at a nearby park that know Reggie and his former owner, Alf. One misunderstanding leads to another, and soon Nicky finds himself pretending to be Alf’s grandson both with the old men and several residents from Alf’s neighborhood. While Nicky searches for answers about Reggie’s sudden retirement from his work as a seeing eye dog, he also has to try to deal with his mother’s constant lies about his weekends with his father, an odd clingy classmate named Rita, and Timmy the bully intent on making Nicky life miserable. As time goes by, Nicky learns about working dogs and comes to love Reggie, but when Reggie’s past and Nicky’s lies collide, the boy and his dog head off in search of a new life with all the answers.

The realistic, but funny narrator guides readers through a genuine story that is difficult to put down. While some content makes this read more suitable for middle school or early high school readers, the story will easily connect with readers that have experienced loss. In How I Got a Life and a Dog, Corriveau creates a work of realistic fiction that both young and adult readers will enjoy.