Review of Dogtown

 

Dogtown by Katherine Applegate and Gennifer Choldenko; Illustrated by Wallace West.

Genre/Category

Dogtown is a science fiction early chapter book. The category I am reviewing for is Pre-K-6th Grade fantasy or science fiction.

Target Age Group

Dogtown is suitable for children aged 8-12, or 3rd-7th grade.

Summary

Dogtown follows the stories of the flesh-and-blood dogs and robot dogs at Dogtown, the shelter where both kinds of pets are brought as they attempt to get adopted. In exchange for helping a senior dog get adopted, protagonist Chance and her friend Mouse assist a robot dog, Metal Head, in his escape from Dogtown, which leads the trio on a string of (mis)adventures as they uncover the truth about their families.

Justification

Dogtown is a New York Times Bestseller, an indie bestseller, and an Amazon Best Children’s Book. Katherine Apple is a household name in the children’s publishing world, and this 2023 addition to her list of publications is an engaging read for young minds!

Evaluation

I have chosen to evaluate the illustrations, narration, and pacing of Dogtown.

Illustrations

The illustrations in Dogtown occur frequently on every other page or so, and they supplement the narrative well. Usually, each illustration depicts the events of the scene written on the page(s) before, allowing the reader to visualize what has occurred. The illustrations are drawn in black-and-white and without much detail, but they provide appreciated context for how the dogs look, the components of the robot dogs, and the experiences of the protagonist, Chance.

Narration

As Dogtown is narrated by Chance, a flesh-and-blood dog, her perspective affects how the events of the story are relayed to the audience. Being a dog, it is difficult to communicate with humans, as dogs can understand human language, but humans cannot understand dogs. This makes for a funny and emotive narrative technique and a convincing narrator. For example, when the dogs at Dogtown want to protest something done by Management, they engage in large howls in resistance. To communicate with humans, Chance sometimes spells out what she needs in kibble, to no avail. This communication difficulty also impacts their adventures when they escape from Dogtown and must traverse a world it is difficult for stray dogs to exist. The narration adds to both the conflict and the humor at different points in the story.

Pacing

The pacing of Dogtown helps to keep the reader hooked from beginning to end. There is a lot of mystery to both the protagonist, Chance, as well as Metal Head, the robot dog Chance helps find his home. Many narrative elements are hinted at throughout the story, but never fully revealed until it is proper time to do so after the reader has spent time with the characters and the plot. For example, Chance hints at “The List” multiple times throughout the story, leaving the reader to assume it is a list of the dogs at Dogtown whose time is about to come to an end due to not being adopted. Additionally, it is not revealed until much later in the story how Chance lost her leg, and why she is even at Dogtown at all, since she has a loving family. Also, Metal Head’s backstory isn’t fully revealed until they arrive at his house, making for a heartbreaking realization for both the characters and readers. The pacing techniques make for an engaging narrative.

Reference

Choldenko, G., & Applegate, K. (2021). Dogtown (W. West, Illus.). Macmillan.