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Library | Call Number | Status |
|---|---|---|
Searching... Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde Library | YA 636.75 GRO | Searching... Unknown |
Searching... McMinnville Public Library | 636.752 Grogan | Searching... Unknown |
Searching... Monmouth Public Library | J 636.75 GROGAN 2008 | Searching... Unknown |
Searching... Salem Main Library | J 636.70887 Grogan 2007 | Searching... Unknown |
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Summary
Summary
Faithfully adapted from the #1 New York Times bestselling memoir Marley & Me, this middle-grade nonfiction book introduces younger readers to Marley, a lovable Labrador retriever who is always getting himself into trouble yet remains a beloved member of the Grogan family. Includes an 8-page full-color photo insert.
Author Notes
Bestselling author, John Grogan, was born on March 20, 1957 in Detroit, Michigan. He majored in journalism and English at Central Michigan University. In 1985, Grogan won a fellowship into the Kiplinger Mid-Career Program in Public Affairs Reporting at Ohio State University, where he obtained his Masters degree. Grogan earned a second fellowship at the Poynter Institute for Media Studies in St. Petersburg, Florida. Grogan's first full-time writing job was as a police reporter for the Herald-Palladium in Michigan. Grogan has also written for the South Florida Sun-Sentinel in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, The Philadelphia Inquirer, and was also editor of Rodale's Organic Gardening magazine.
Grogan's book, Marley and Me, spent over seventy-six weeks on the bestseller list and was made into a movie in 2008. Grogan and his wife, Jenny, live in rural Pennsylvania.
Reviews (6)
School Library Journal Review
Gr 5-8-This book was adapted for young readers from Grogan's Marley & Me. It is a love story about a newlywed couple who decide to get a dog and the "bargain" Labrador retriever they choose. The tiny puppy has a zest for life, but is too young to be separated from his mother. By the time he is ready to go to his new home, he has grown considerably, and his enthusiasm for everyone and everything has increased proportionally. Marley becomes a large, drooling loose cannon on four legs. He loves people and other animals, hates to be alone, and is terrified of storms. His owners try to control him, but Marley is his own dog and lives by his own rules. His stint at obedience school is a disaster; he wreaks havoc in the house; and, to the couple's amazement, he lands a role in a movie. Except for the latter, the scenarios will be familiar to anyone who has ever loved and been owned by an out-of-control pup. This version contains only stories that deal with Marley and little about the other aspects of his owners' lives that are in the original story. The book contains a lot of laughs, some tender moments, and heart-wrenching chapters that deal with Marley's illness and death. Yes, he dies. But recommend it anyway; it's worth the tears.-Nancy P. Reeder, Heathwood Hall Episcopal School, Columbia, SC (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Publisher's Weekly Review
Moving at a clip worthy of the barreling pooch at its heart, Grogan's anecdotal adaptation of his bestselling memoir, Marley & Me: Life and Love with the World's Worst Dog speaks to a middle-grade audience. The same eye-catching photo from the original jacket graces this version, and the narrative maintains all the energy, humor and poignancy of the adult book. It will surely hold youngsters' attention-despite the absence of peers (Grogan's own, younger children play but minor roles)-thanks to the pooch's kid-pleasing shenanigans. Marley strews toilet paper throughout the house so that "the place looked like it had been decorated for Halloween," eats everything he can get his paws on (including toy soldiers, pen caps and towels, pieces of which "came out the other end"), and knocks framed photos and bottles off tabletops as he enthusiastically wags "his whole body,... like the canine version of a Slinky." In other comical highlights, the dog lands a role in a movie and misbehaves on the set, and, at an outdoor restaurant, pulls the family's table along the sidewalk in pursuit of a fetching French poodle. The tale takes an inevitable somber turn as the happy-go-lucky pet ages. But Grogan leaves young readers with fond memories of this exasperating yet thoroughly endearing creature. Ages 8-12. (May) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Horn Book Review
This middle-grade adaptation seeks to capitalize on the success of Grogan's bestselling Marley & Me. The memoir tells the story of an ill-behaved yellow Labrador retriever who manages to steal his family's hearts even while shredding their sofa. Younger dog fans will laugh out loud--and cry at the end--but most readers would do better to head straight for the original. (c) Copyright 2010. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted. All rights reserved.
Kirkus Review
In this adaptation of his bestselling memoir, Marley & Me, Grogan celebrates the life of his free-spirited, bad-boy Labrador retriever. When Grogan innocently picks the enthusiastic Marley from the puppy litter, little does he know this dog will crash through his life with hilarious abandon for the next 13 years. "Wild as a banshee and as strong as a bull," Marley grows at a furious rate, chomping and chewing everything in sight. At six months, the incorrigible Marley is kicked out of obedience school. When a film company wants a "big, dumb, loopy dog," Marley's a natural. Whenever there's an electric storm, Marley claws his way out of steel cages like a pro. Over the years, Grogan and his growing family became increasingly attached to their goofy canine, but eventually the elderly Marley wears out, prompting Grogan to acknowledge that despite his flaws, Marley was "a great dog." Written with real affection and humor, this tender tribute to a dog "with stinky breath and bad manners" will win the hearts of even those who aren't dog lovers. (Nonfiction. 8-12) Copyright ©Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Booklist Review
"Acquired by Grogan and his wife in Florida when he was a puppy, Marley, an oversize, energetic, and supremely loving yellow Lab, was expelled from his first obedience school but successfully auditioned for a part in a movie. He bolted his food, chewed everything in sight, and went berserk in thunderstorms. After moving to Pennsylvania with the growing Grogan family, he discovered the joy of snow, tobogganing down the hill on his master's stomach. Although never really well-behaved, Marley made his home in their hearts for 13 years. Grogan has trimmed down his best-selling account, Marley and Me (2005), for younger readers, leaving out considerable detail about the family but keeping all the deeds and misdeeds that made Marley so entertaining. The dog's poignant last days are detailed as well. Young readers with pets of their own will recognize the unconditional affection Marley gave and the love he earned in return. Both humorous and sentimental, this should attract a broad range of readers."--"Isaacs, Kathleen" Copyright 2007 Booklist
New York Review of Books Review
"ANIMALS are such agreeable friends - they ask no questions, they pass no criticisms," George Eliot wrote 150 years ago in "Scenes of Clerical Life." Although some may argue that certain cats are never shy about offering persnickety commentary, three recent children's books would be in enthusiastic agreement with Eliot, painting loving portraits of pet companions, from big dogs to hedgehogs. For younger readers, there is Anita Lobel's "Nini Here and There," featuring a tabby cat with abandonment issues and a rich fantasy life. Anybody who's ever tried to stuff a cat into its carrier before a car trip will recognize Nini's reaction when she sees "the big black thing" and tries to burrow under the rug. Despite meows of protest, Nini falls asleep inside her carrier and dreams of all sorts of travel adventures involving elephants, boats and clouds. Lobel's expressive white-gouache and watercolor paintings nicely capture the cat's bewilderment and eventual relief when she pops out of the carrier at the family's country house. The last page reveals Nini curled up on a rocking chair, relieved that "they did not go away without me." Cats are just one species among many in "The House of a Million Pets," Ann Hodgman's animal-packed memoir. Over the years, she's had quite a zoo tromping through her home in rural Connecticut: "Hedgehogs. Dogs. Prairie dogs. Cats. A baby owl. ... Dozens of canaries. A few parakeets. Regular mice," she recounts early in the book, adding rats, turtles, ducklings, a baby bat, a vole, sugar gliders, rabbits, a cockatiel, a bulbul bird, an albino frog, snapping turtles and hamsters to the roster. There's not a lot of actual chatter back and forth between Hodgman and the nonhuman inhabitants of her Doctor Dolittle-like domicile, but through careful observation she's able to create a distinct personality for most of her pets, and Eugene Yelchin's black-and-white illustrations add a note of whimsy. Using a sassy, almost conspiratorial tone ("Carrying a rat on your shoulder is especially fun because it bothers other people"), Hodgman is very straightforward about life with so many dependents from the wild kingdom. It's the good, the bad and the messy in this book. There are, for example, several pages devoted to what the author defiantly refers to as "poop," and other intimate dietary matters are discussed: "It takes a hedgehog a long, noisy time to eat a worm." She also sensitively describes the procedure (and the accompanying churn of emotion) when it comes time for an animal friend to be mercifully euthanized. Part autobiography, part petcare guide, "The House of a Million Pets" offers Hodgman's own remedies and practical tips for raising animals, like how to prepare a waterless bath to get rid of fur mites, or how to tell if a baby bird's back is broken. And she offers good advice for prospective young pet wranglers ("You should always carefully research a pet's needs before you buy it"), even if she sometimes doesn't follow it herself. It's also clear that Hodgman will do just about anything for an animal in need, even carrying an abandoned baby sugar glider around in her bra to keep it warm - at her grandfather's funeral. By the end of the book, you realize Hodgman is one Crazy Pet Lady. "Good" crazy, though. And speaking of crazy, Marley, the uncontrollable 97-pound Labrador retriever who's been lumbering over the best-seller lists, now has an edition adapted for the 8-to-12 crowd. "Marley: A Dog Like No Other" is John Grogan's reworking of his 2005 book "Marley & Me: Life and Love With the World's Worst Dog." This version leaves out the adult scenes of violent crime and marital issues to focus on the dog's misadventures. (With a picture-book edition called "Bad Dog, Marley!" available as well, perhaps Grogan's next book should be called "Marketing & Me.") Even younger readers should pick up early on that Marley is going to be a challenge. The dog breeder offers the pup to Grogan and his wife at a discounted rate, and they later see Marley's father careering wildly across the yard. "I detected an odd, slightly crazed, yet somehow joyous gaze in its eyes," Grogan writes. "It was as though this animal had just seen a ghost - and couldn't possibly be more thrilled about it." The apple didn't plop far from the tree in Marley's case, and his rambunctious puppyhood lands him in obedience school. "We were beginning to figure out that he was not like other dogs. We needed professional help," Grogan notes. But Marley flunks out of school, drives Grogan's wife nearly to her breaking point after he eats the couch cushions, and has wall-gouging panic attacks during thunderstorms. While the book mostly recounts Marley's unfortunate moments, it also reveals the dog's unabashed personality and how his people learned to love him despite his overenthusiastic approach to life and breakable objects. "Marley," like "The House of a Million Pets," shows that caring for animals is a lot of responsibility and would make good preparatory reading for the child working the "I promise I'll take care of it!" angle for potential pet ownership. J.D. Biersdorfer (who grew up in Indiana with cats, dogs, hamsters, goldfish, mice and rabbits) is the production editor of the Book Review.