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Oh my word what a funny read! I hooted too often while reading this quick middle school read. While How to Train Your Dad is a fun read, it also broaches themes of family, green-living, and the complications of love. Gary Paulsen takes us on a wild ride through the emotions of one 12ish year old boy told from his point of view.
The Basic Details of How to Train Your Dad
Gary Paulsen is a well-known author of Middle-school reads. I’ve also reviewed his book Gone to the Woods. How to train your dog is a humourous look at a young teen’s attempt to change his dad. Add in a cunning dog with street smarts and you’ll start to wonder just who is training whom! Written for youth 10-14 years of age with 192 pages. Farror Strauss Giroux as publisher. Reviewed on behalf of Raincoast Books.
You’ll learn about bartering, green living, respect for animals, family and friends, sacrifices made, and how to be yourself. With good characters (including the dog) young readers will laugh their way through this first-person narrative from a young man’s point of view.
Learning More
Upper Elementary through middle school readers will delight in the antics of Carl, Pooder (his best friend), Carl’s dad and of course Carol (the dog). Carl tells the story and walks us through his dad’s philosophy of life. One thing you need to understand through this entire book is that Carl loves his dad! As much as he wants to train his dad, it’s more like he’s seeking ways to tweak his Dad a little. Young teens should be able to relate to this as what teenager doesn’t want to change their parent once in a while?
You won’t find illustrations beyond the cover art. But you will find clear writing that slightly pushes the reading level of younger readers. It’s good for readers to not know every word they are reading. It pushes a body to learn more eh?
Good characters fill the pages. Pooder is a lad who would be fun to know. Carol….. that pitbull has a storied past and made me wonder who was being trained, the dad or the lad. Dad is an intriguing character with a love for bartering that exceeds my own. And then there’s Carl, a maturing lad who is developing ideas of his own and they don’t always mesh with Dad’s. Hence the need to train his dad….
You’ll find the text easy to read and the chapter headings straight-forward.
Should this be read by YOUR middle schooler?
I think so yes. It’s a fun, yet thought provoking read. How much consumerism is okay? What are the problems (if any) with trying to live as green a possible? Is it possible to train your parents (particularly with the method Carl was using)?
Good author! Bet this is a good one.
definitely a fun read