One Dog and His Boy

Fleck is a new breed of dog - a "Totteham Terrier". Well, not really but that is what Kaylie tells the owners of the rent a dog business where she works so that they will allow the little stray to stay. So when Hal comes with his dad, thinking he finally getting the dog he has always wanted,the dog and the boy find each other. It is love at first sight. This is a wonderful story of love (between human and animal)and adventure,including a circus,detectives,evil characters,orphans,monks with a truly happy ending for all.

The narrator did a great job, making this a great listen. I listened to it with my students in mind but I think even adults would enjoy this story. Ibbotson is one of my favorite authors.

Steven Crossley is a great narrator for this book. Like most Eva Ibbotson books (for children), this one is a light story of adventure with the good people winning and the greedy people getting their comeuppance - in this story, there are also greedy people who redeem themselves. Steven Crossley's tone perfectly matches that of the book.

I would recommend this feel-good adventure story to anyone who has enjoyed previous Eva Ibbotson books like "The Haunting of Granite Falls" or "Which Witch" or some of her other works that are more light-hearted. While I enjoyed the story, I am familiar with her type of characters, and her protagonists sometimes tend to be overwhelmingly "good". In "One Dog and His Boy", it's been very well done and I really like the main characters, and one of the nicest things about Eva Ibbotson books is that very often the "bad" people are depicted with a touch of ridiculous humor, and that makes them a lot more appealing. This book was really a great last gift from Eva Ibbotson.