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The dog days of Charlotte Hayes / Marlane Kennedy.

By: Material type: TextTextPublication details: New York : Greenwillow Books, c2009.Edition: First editionDescription: 233 pages ; 22 cmContent type:
  • text
Media type:
  • unmediated
Carrier type:
  • volume
ISBN:
  • 9780061452413 (hbk.)
  • 0061452416 (trade bdg.)
Subject(s): Genre/Form: LOC classification:
  • PZ7.K3846 Dog 2009
Contents:
This story about a girl, her dog, and her lovable--if sometimes difficult--family is sure to charm its way into readers' hearts the same way Beauregard the Saint Bernard charms his way into 12-year-old Charlotte's.
Summary: Eleven-year-old Charlotte is not a dog person but does not like that the rest of her family neglects their Saint Bernard puppy, and so with a lot of determination and a little sneakiness, she works on finding a good home for the gentle giant.
Holdings
Item type Current library Collection Call number Copy number Status Date due Barcode Item holds
Childrens Fiction Davis (Central) Library Children's Fiction Children's Fiction KEN 1 Checked out 25/02/2025 T00484996
Total holds: 1

Enhanced descriptions from Syndetics:



It's not that Charlotte hates dogs. Or that she wants all of them to disappear off the face of the planet. It's just that she doesn't see why everyone loves them so much.

So how did she get stuck taking care of a big, drooling Saint Bernard puppy Rain or shine, hot or cold, poor Beauregard is left chained in the backyard. No one ever plays with him or checks his food and water bowls, and Charlotte can tell he's sad. So she makes sure he has water, gives him belly rubs--blech!--and feeds him every single day. But it's kind of a pain, and she knows Beauregard deserves better. There's a new girl at school who lives in a huge house--plenty of room there for a big dog.

Charlotte has an idea. Now all she needs is a plan. Maybe a lot of plans.

How do you rescue your own dog

This story about a girl, her dog, and her lovable--if sometimes difficult--family is sure to charm its way into readers' hearts the same way Beauregard the Saint Bernard charms his way into 12-year-old Charlotte's.

Eleven-year-old Charlotte is not a dog person but does not like that the rest of her family neglects their Saint Bernard puppy, and so with a lot of determination and a little sneakiness, she works on finding a good home for the gentle giant.

Ages 8-12.

9 11 89 96 98 114 115 149 156 161 164 168 175 180

Excerpt provided by Syndetics

The Dog Days of Charlotte Hayes Chapter One I might as well admit this straight up. I am not a dog person. Never asked for one, pleaded for one, or begged for one. Don't get me wrong. It's not that I dislike dogs or am scared of them or think the world would be a better place without them. It's just that I'm not the type of person who melts when she sees a basset hound or wants to rush over and hug any Lab she happens to cross paths with. When I see a dog, I usually don't give it a second glance. And yet here I am, a certified nonâ€"dog lover, talking to a drooling Saint Bernard and scratching him behind his ear even though I'd much rather be inside, gulping down a can of cold grape soda. Especially after the steaming hot walk I just had coming home from school. The dog's name is Killer. That is what my daddy decided he should be called. But he's lived with us for seven months now, and there's not a microscopic bit of meanness to be found in any of the big bones under his shaggy brown and white fur coat. Daddy's second choice for a name wasn't any better for him: Cujo. Like the crazy dog that ripped people apart in that old movie. A good name for him would have been something like Sweetie Pie. But I can't call him that because after all he is a boy, and he might take offense. So I call him Beauregard. "You like the name Beauregard, don't ya?" I ask. His tail thumps dirt, kicking up dust as a response. "Everyone should like their name. I like mine okay. Charlotte Hayes. Could be worse, I guess." More tail thumping. Having the name Killer is the least of this dog's problems, though. Unfortunately all his problems have somehow become my problems. I just wish I knew what to do about it. Beauregard collapses to the ground, legs straight up, giant paws dangling in the air. He's asking for a belly rub. The white of his belly is covered with brown. He's been lying in dirt where the grass has been worn away. I really don't want a coating of dirt on my hands. He stares up at me, pleading from his upside-down position. I look away and notice his water bowl is empty. It's been in the upper eighties today, and Beauregard has to be terribly thirsty, so I ignore his plea for a belly rub and pick up the empty bowl instead. I march over to the outside spigot and fill it to the brim. Sploshing water until my sneakers squish, I carry the bowl back and set it down. Beauregard jumps up and makes a nosedive into it, lapping water like crazy. Even though it's technically the first week of fall, it feels more like the middle of summer here in Greater Oaks, West Virginia. I put my hands on top of my head, hoping to catch a faint breeze. My orange hair feels like an electric stovetop burner twisted all the way to high. Beauregard pauses from his frantic drinking long enough to drool and give me a melancholy stare. Saint Bernards always look a bit sad with their droopy eyes and saggy mouths, but I know he'd at least look a little happier if I could bring him inside with me. He's been an outside dog since we've had him, but for the past four months he hasn't even had a moment's break from his chain. Beauregard, finished with his water, rolls onto his back once more and lets out a whimper. I was hoping he'd forget about that belly rub. He whimpers again and sounds so pitiful that I go ahead and kneel beside him and begin stroking his dirty fur. I swish a few gnats away with my free hand. "Life's not fair, is it, boy?" I ask. He groans and flops from his back to his side and begins panting. Life's not fair for Beauregard. It's not fair for me either. 'Cause I'm the one stuck taking care of him. The Dog Days of Charlotte Hayes . Copyright © by Marlane Kennedy . Reprinted by permission of HarperCollins Publishers, Inc. All rights reserved. Available now wherever books are sold. Excerpted from The Dog Days of Charlotte Hayes by Marlane Kennedy All rights reserved by the original copyright owners. Excerpts are provided for display purposes only and may not be reproduced, reprinted or distributed without the written permission of the publisher.

Reviews provided by Syndetics

School Library Journal Review

Gr 3-5-Sixth-grader Charlotte Hayes, upset by her family's neglect of their Saint Bernard, takes care of him even though she isn't much of a dog person. Her father, who likes bargains and the breed's looks, gets the pup cheap from a coworker and is attentive at first, as is her older sister. Her mother, never enthusiastic about a pet that will eventually weigh 200 pounds, doesn't want him in the house because he drools. Charlotte knows that she needs to find a better home for Beauregard, one where he isn't kept outside all the time with a doghouse that is too small and a water dish that only she fills. With help from two friends as well as from an elderly woman, Charlotte succeeds-and then learns that maybe she is a dog person after all. Wise beyond her years, the protagonist is extremely concerned about what is right. This is a sweet, gentle story for larger collections.-Elizabeth Swistock, Jefferson Madison Regional Library, Charlottesville, VA (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Booklist Review

Charlotte's father loves a bargain. But his enthusiasms pass quickly, and 11-year-old Charlotte is the only one who remembers to give the St. Bernard he bought food, water, and a belly rub. Charlotte is not a dog person. Beauregard deserves a better home, with a family who loves him and doesn't leave him outside. Determined to find him one, she works to buy the dog from her father to give to a rescue organization, earning money by helping an elderly neighbor. This gentle, appealing story covers the better part of a school year in which Charlotte not only becomes a dog person but also discovers that people who seem scary at first Luanne, the silent new girl at school; the 84-year-old Petunia Parker can become friends. The gradual change in her family, as her baby brother grows and her mother recovers from postpartum depression, is believable, and the small-town West Virginia setting forms a convincing backdrop. Even for certified non-dog lovers, the familiar family and friendship issues and satisfying resolution make this an agreeable read.--Isaacs, Kathleen Copyright 2009 Booklist

Horn Book Review

Though she's "not a dog person," Charlotte's the one who cares for the family pet. Recognizing the pup needs a better home, Charlotte raises money to buy it from her dad, then gives it to a rescue organization. Charlotte's complicated family (Mom with postpartum depression, Dad drawn quite unflatteringly) shakes up what might otherwise have been a conventional dog story. (c) Copyright 2010. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted. All rights reserved.

Kirkus Book Review

Following the excellent Me and the Pumpkin Queen (2007), Kennedy returns with another original novel for young readers. Charlotte, 12 years old, doesn't think of herself as a dog lover but steps in to care for a St. Bernard that her father bought cheap and now neglects, since the pet has outgrown its cute puppyhood. Beauregard is chained in a shadeless spot, his shelter a doghouse he can no longer fit into; in the summer heat, no one even fills his water dish. Determined to find a better life for the sweet animal, Charlotte hatches half-baked schemes to find him a new home. As each fails, her planning gets more sophisticated. A maturing Charlotte contrasts sharply with her unconcerned though benignly depicted parents. Her first-person, present-tense voice captures perfectly the emerging moral awareness of young teens as it comes up against the impotence of late childhood. Another fine effort, perhaps this entertaining read will serve to catch the attention of children everywhere living with too-easily neglected pets that have outgrown cute. (Fiction. 8-12) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

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