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katykelly's review
4.0
Child's-eye-view of Australian lawlessness in times of biological devastation.
About the youngest dystopia tale I've come across, a story of a changed world and a population struggling to cope with change, narrated by a young girl caught up in it all. Ella, her brother Emery and Dad are waiting for Mum to return to them from her important work, before they can escape the city for somewhere safer and with more prospect of food.
A fungus has killed off grass worldwide, resulting in a chain reaction that has also affected other crops, animal species and of course, humans. Their city is running low on supplies and when Dad disappears searching for Ella's mum, she and Emery must take their large sled-dogs and mush their way to safety. If they can.
It's a scary prospect, as a parent reading the synopsis, and I can only imagine how a young reader would see this. Knowing the desperation that you would feel in these circumstances, you might expect a lot more danger and obstacles to be put in their way, but though they exist, Ella and Emery seem to manage to make it through problems with less damage than I was expecting.
Ella takes charge when Emery is injured, and rises to the task. Her dogs are characters in their own right, though I would have liked more of that. Ella's voice is a convincing one, you can hear the Australian pre-teen in her narration, her hope and determination alongside the worries.
A little too convenient in places, but a fairly sound portrait of a world ravaged, though sanitised a little for the target market.
A message to a generation to take care of the world and to plan ahead for the future. Could make an excellent mini-series. One for ages 10-14.
About the youngest dystopia tale I've come across, a story of a changed world and a population struggling to cope with change, narrated by a young girl caught up in it all. Ella, her brother Emery and Dad are waiting for Mum to return to them from her important work, before they can escape the city for somewhere safer and with more prospect of food.
A fungus has killed off grass worldwide, resulting in a chain reaction that has also affected other crops, animal species and of course, humans. Their city is running low on supplies and when Dad disappears searching for Ella's mum, she and Emery must take their large sled-dogs and mush their way to safety. If they can.
It's a scary prospect, as a parent reading the synopsis, and I can only imagine how a young reader would see this. Knowing the desperation that you would feel in these circumstances, you might expect a lot more danger and obstacles to be put in their way, but though they exist, Ella and Emery seem to manage to make it through problems with less damage than I was expecting.
Ella takes charge when Emery is injured, and rises to the task. Her dogs are characters in their own right, though I would have liked more of that. Ella's voice is a convincing one, you can hear the Australian pre-teen in her narration, her hope and determination alongside the worries.
A little too convenient in places, but a fairly sound portrait of a world ravaged, though sanitised a little for the target market.
A message to a generation to take care of the world and to plan ahead for the future. Could make an excellent mini-series. One for ages 10-14.
rebekahf's review
4.0
Ella and her brother Emery are alone in a city that's starving to death. If they are going to survive, they must get away, upcountry, to find Emery's mum. But how can two kids travel such big distances across a dry, barren, and dangerous landscape? Well, when you've got five big doggos and a dry-land dogsled, the answer is you go mushing. But when Emery is injured, Ella must find a way to navigate them through rough terrain, and even rougher encounters with desperate people.
The Dog Runner is a cracking read. Author Bren MacDibble sets a blistering pace, with plenty of action to grip the reader from the very first page. It follows the children’s tense, and at times a little bit scary, journey across a dystopian Australia desert as they try desperately to get to Emery’s mum’s house.
Read full review here: https://www.nzbooklovers.co.nz/post/the-dog-runner-by-bren-macdibble
suprememummy's review
adventurous
hopeful
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
stefhyena's review
hopeful
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Kids dystopian book. Some dark stuff around violence and death (including an animal being harmed). Mostly positive. Makes a strong argument for giving attention to Aboriginal knowledges but also that First Nations communities being able to follow their own way of life is of benefit to all of society. A mixed family (ie step-parents etc). Started off too dark for me with all the famine and violence but moved toward the light fairly quickly.
emjrey's review
adventurous
challenging
medium-paced
4.0
A post apocalyptic story set in Australia which follows Ella and her older brother Emery (along with their dogs) to find home again. It has some intense moments, many thoughtful moments but ultimately a happy ending. Aimed at readers 8 and up I think.
ruthie_the_librarian's review
4.0
Read & reviewed for 'The Bookbag'.
http://www.thebookbag.co.uk/reviews/index.php?title=The_Dog_Runner_by_Bren_MacDibble
http://www.thebookbag.co.uk/reviews/index.php?title=The_Dog_Runner_by_Bren_MacDibble
stephee's review
4.0
Another one I probably shouldn't have read during a global pandemic. Slow learner.
jannikee's review
3.0
I liked the story, i'm just not really a fan of books that use words like "cos" instead of because.
ozshark's review
5.0
4.5 stars. This was an exciting, thought-provoking post-apocalyptic adventure. It is unfortunately all too easy to imagine such a scenario as described here playing out in our world. A strange red fungus has destroyed all types of grass, meaning no crops, no pasture for farm animals and no food for the majority of the world. Governments are unable to sufficiently help and society quickly descends into an every man for himself situation, with widespread looting and violence fighting over food sources. Into this situation we find Ella and Emery, 2 children trying to make it out of the city to a family farm and hoping Mum and Dad will be able to meet them there.
The character choices and situations were tense and realistic, given the circumstances. I liked how issues of connection to land and indigenous land management were initially subtly woven in (and then more obviously as the book advanced). It was clear the author was influenced by Dark Emu, which was then acknowledged in the credits.
I thought the final resolution was a little simplistic. There was no real reason their troubles wouldn't continue to find them at the Christmas's, and the menace felt from Mike and his men wasn't really explained or explored.
Overall, a fascinating and enjoyable read which should spark some excellent discussion.
The character choices and situations were tense and realistic, given the circumstances. I liked how issues of connection to land and indigenous land management were initially subtly woven in (and then more obviously as the book advanced). It was clear the author was influenced by Dark Emu, which was then acknowledged in the credits.
I thought the final resolution was a little simplistic. There was no real reason their troubles wouldn't continue to find them at the Christmas's, and the menace felt from Mike and his men wasn't really explained or explored.
Overall, a fascinating and enjoyable read which should spark some excellent discussion.