This is a child's book I won over at Goodreads to review. It's a really cute read and one of those books I'm going to pass on to my children as soon as they can read chapter books. After giving them one to read about cats first, of course. Formal review:
“The Metro Dogs of Moscow” by Rachelle Delaney was a
quick, fun read that would be a nice thing to enjoy on a leisurely day with
your children or even just by yourself. It’s a novel that falls into place with
many movies I’ve seen about a small dog with a big heart who has to go on a
mission to help other dogs. It isn’t the most original of novels but it’s cute
with innocent, pure-hearted characters and simple, evil villains.
The plot is very predictable in its simplicity—for anyone
over the age of ten at least—but nonetheless it’s heartwarming and follows the
tradition of someone realizing that they have unexpected friends where they
least thought they would. The writing style is also very simple and perfect for
any young, reluctant readers who aren’t looking for tons of description about
one thing or intricate, complicated explanations about someone’s true motives.
There is a nice amount of characters that reoccur in the
novel, and each one is different, if stereotypical, so there’s at least one
character for everyone to enjoy. The snobby, but large-hearted Beatrix, the
gentle, intelligent Boris, the tough, kick-ass Ania, the grumpy-turns-nice,
kind JR, the submissive, cautious Pie and the mischievous, fun-loving Robert
are a just a few pups that come to mind. Not to mention the humans—messy,
flirty George, dog-loving, rich John, beautiful, intriguing Katerina,
mysterious, elusive Filip Filipov… There’s no shortage of characters and each
one provides great fun and amusement.
The setting was great fun as well—Moscow, Russia through
the eyes of a dog was certainly interesting and, in many circumstances,
provided great humour as our sheltered protagonist, JR the embassy dog, soon
shows us. This is one novel I could easily see being made into movie that audiences
of films like Lady and the Tramp, Bolt, 101 Dalmations, All Dogs Go to Heaven
and Cats and Dogs would enjoy. A movie from the dog’s point of view where the
dogs can talk and have to solve a predictable problem.
Overall, this book was very light-hearted, quick read.
The kind of book that you’ll pick up and read one lazy Saturday afternoon in
the sun while sipping some sort of yummy drink and giggling at the childish
humour. It’s a perfect book for any child under the age of about twelve,
especially a child who loves dogs or just animals in general. If you read it as
an adult, you will easily be transported back to your youth and enjoy a book
where you won’t have to think about anything that’s going on because it’s not a
particularly difficult book. It’s a nice book that deals with the theme of
knowing who your friends are and strength in numbers. And not judging a book by
its cover (I mean this as in a theme in the book—I personally think the cover
of the book itself is cute). So if you’re looking for a book with a deeper
meaning that you have to read between the lines to get, I’d suggest reading
something else. But if you’re looking for a light, fun read with a child-like
simplicity, or simply a book for your child, look no further.
Yes, this was an adorable book and I enjoyed it when I read it. Well it isn't the most memorable of books, it's sweet. In an I-love-the-characters-but-I'd-like-them-even-more-if-they-were-cats kind of way. Although at this very moment I'm dogsitting so we'll keep this our little secret.
Final Verdict: 6.5/10
Happy Reading!
~Amber
No comments:
Post a Comment