Zeus, Dog of Chaos

By: Kristin O'Donnell Tubb

Narrated by: Todd Haberkorn

Length: 6 hrs and 9 mins

Publisher's Summary

Kristin O’Donnell Tubb, the award-winning author of A Dog Like Daisy, delivers another heartwarming, must-listen middle-grade novel for dog lovers. Equal parts funny and poignant, this audiobook from the point of view of the service dog Zeus is perfect for fans of Max and A Dog Called Homeless. 

Zeus comes from a long line of heroic dogs, and he dreams of glory as a K9 commander. But he receives a much more dangerous assignment - middle school! And as all good service dogs know, the only way to get through hostile territory is by being invisible. 

Zeus’ new human, Madden, is diabetic, and he wants to be invisible, too. That’s hard to do with a huge German shepherd at his side to alert him when his blood sugar drops. And it’s even harder because Madden makes this noise called music that draws attention. Zeus’ mission becomes clear: He must destroy music. 

While Zeus’ training prepared him for his most important job - keeping Madden safe - he discovers the human world is complicated. As Madden dreams of winning the state band competition and tries to reconnect with his mom, the lieutenant, Zeus must learn that, sometimes, you need to stand out to fulfill your duty.

©2020 Kristin O'Donnell Tubb (P)2020 HarperCollins Publishers

Clever and Creative ♥️

I was drawn to this book bc I love Todd Haberkorn and I am determined to listen to all of his audiobooks. This one looked fun and I am so glad I gave it a listen. I thoroughly enjoyed it as a grown woman so I can only imagine how much more kids and teens would appreciate it.

I normally detest first person narrative and even more so PRESENT tense first person narrative. But this was an excellent choice for this particular story. I have never read a book from an animal’s perspective before but this was exceedingly fun and clever. The chapters are nice and short but action packed. They are also very humorously and aptly named. As an aspiring writer myself, I find naming chapters extremely frustrating.

(Spoilers) I was impressed how such a lighthearted, comedic book was also able to seamlessly include the seriousness of type 1 diabetes in a child. My aunt suffered from diabetes so I was already familiar with a lot of terms and situations included in this book. I had no idea that service dogs were capable of this type of assistance though. That was very impressive and informative. This was blended and balanced very well with the comedic aspects of the story.

I couldn’t stand Madden’s mother through most of the book, even though I knew her concern came from a good place. It was beautiful glimpsing more into her mind by the end and I was happy to see their relationship evolve. I knew she or the grandparents must have had something to do with the donation. I did not see the twist coming though that it was their idea to stay away and not the mother’s.

Todd Haberkorn did an excellent job with all of the voices and he thrived in all aspects of the story. Some of my fav parts were him fighting with the ducks and breaking down word meanings in his head. The author clearly has a vivid imagination. I can’t get over how clever the premise is of Zeus mistakenly thinking that he must destroy music. Truly one of a kind story.

I highly recommend this audiobook to anyone who loves dogs and/or Todd Haberkorn. I think this would be a great book for kids and teens to enjoy bc it is very clever and funny but also has a lot of heart. I can def see opportunities for a sequel!

the best book ever

I love it is amazing to feel the story as they read
it love it

A Wonderful Story

This story made my day! It made me laugh! plus taught me something about service dogs. Todd Haberkorn is a favorite narrator! He did a very very good job! He definitely made the story come to life.

not a fan

couldn't get into this. voices for the dogs were all wrong. not my cup of tea. couldnt finish it.