From Publishers Weekly
Despite his mother's remarriage and a move, Scott determines to be champion sled-dog racer in this novel that inspired the movie Kayla. "The story builds to a convincing three-tissue ending," said PW. Ages 9-12.
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.
From School Library Journal
Grade 4-7 In this coincidence-filled narrative, 12-year-old Scott McClure finds himself an unwilling member of a new family in rural Montana after his mother remarries. Brad, his new step-brother, is sullen and resentful of Scott, and secretly plans to run away to his mother in nearby Billings. Scott's all-consuming passion is to race dogs as his father used to do. Van Steenwyk details Scott's preparations for a race, including an accident that almost kills Brad's dog Bruno; Scott's decision to race a wounded stray dog he had nursed back to life; and Brad's willingness to accompany Scott to the race in order to live with his mother. When Brad can't find his mother, he runs off to a mountain cabin where they used to go, and Scott races with his dog to save Brad's lifeand simultaneously realizes that he can fit into the Hartfield family without being disloyal to his father. This message is the main thrust of the story, and the improbable events and characters seem little more than vehicles for Scott's growing up. Scott is too earnest a hero and Brad too inconsistent an antagonist to be believable. The dialogue is filled with words like ``criminy'' and ``no sweat.'' The predictable heroics and the dog action will appeal to some young readers, but there really is very little surprise or excitement and no depth in character interaction to sustain the novel's didactic purpose. Jack Forman, Mesa College Lib . , San Diego
Copyright 1987 Reed Business Information, Inc. --Ce texte fait référence à une édition épuisée ou non disponible de ce titre.
Copyright 1987 Reed Business Information, Inc. --Ce texte fait référence à une édition épuisée ou non disponible de ce titre.
