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A review by bookph1le
Woof: A Bowser and Birdie Novel by Spencer Quinn
4.0
I wasn't super into this book in the beginning, but it really grew on me. Bowser is a winning narrator. More complete review to come.
Full review:
This is a book that really snuck up on me. The book is told in Bowser's voice, and it took me a while to get into that because he sounds so goofy and distracted from the main action of the book. After a while, though, his personality really grew on me, and I think the author did a great job of capturing what humans speculate are the types of thoughts dogs have. Yes, Bowser is often distracted, but one thing is certain: he isn't about to let anything bad happen to his Birdie.
As far as kid sleuth novels go, I did enjoy this one. The mystery feels realistic and scaled to an appropriate level for middle grade readers. What starts out as a simple case of a missing trophy fish morphs into a tale with ties to World War II and missing artifacts. The treasure legend lends some extra excitement to the book. What kid doesn't dream of digging up buried treasure, after all? I also liked that the book delved into a bit of World War II history, and I hope this is something the author will explore again in future installments. I think it would be interesting for Birdie to learn more about what her great-grandfather experienced during the war.
The sense of setting in this novel is superb. Without getting too technical or boring, Quinn does a good job of creating the feel of the bayou and of giving the reader some interesting information about the ecosystem of the swamps. I lost myself in these descriptions, feeling like I was there right along with Birdie and Bowser.
This book abounds with well-done characters, though I didn't really feel as though I developed a really good sense about Birdie. She feels somewhat removed, a little mysterious, and I can't tell if this is because she's closed or if I just didn't get enough information about her. Grammy is very well done, though, as is Maybelline, who I hope to see more of in future installments. Even Birdie's mother, who makes only brief appearances during the course of the novel, felt very real to me. The best developed, of course, is Bowser, who drops lots of tantalizing hints about his past. Many of his lines made me smile.
It's always nice to read a middle grade novel where the adults are fully fleshed and feel integral to the young protagonist's world. Birdie is independent and does a lot on her own with the faithful Bowser by her side, but she also relies on adults when she needs to. That's not to say that the adults are always helpful to her or that they give her as much credit as they ought to give her, but the amount of liberty Birdie displays feels realistic, unlike some middle grade novels where kids have far too much freedom to make the narrative very believable.
This book doesn't shy away from difficult issues either, though it deals with them in an age-appropriate way. I think there's a lot of value in introducing kids to some of life's thornier topics by way of books. It helps kids imagine what it would be like to be in that position, but while they're in a position of safety and security. From Grammy's medical problems to the Sheriff's sometimes patronizing Birdie to the World War II era heist, the book does a good job of showing how people sometimes make bad decisions, and how blindness can create additional complications in life.
If the child in your life is a dog lover--as my daughter is--this book ought to be a winner. It's a promising start to a new series, one whose continuation I'm looking forward to.
Full review:
This is a book that really snuck up on me. The book is told in Bowser's voice, and it took me a while to get into that because he sounds so goofy and distracted from the main action of the book. After a while, though, his personality really grew on me, and I think the author did a great job of capturing what humans speculate are the types of thoughts dogs have. Yes, Bowser is often distracted, but one thing is certain: he isn't about to let anything bad happen to his Birdie.
As far as kid sleuth novels go, I did enjoy this one. The mystery feels realistic and scaled to an appropriate level for middle grade readers. What starts out as a simple case of a missing trophy fish morphs into a tale with ties to World War II and missing artifacts. The treasure legend lends some extra excitement to the book. What kid doesn't dream of digging up buried treasure, after all? I also liked that the book delved into a bit of World War II history, and I hope this is something the author will explore again in future installments. I think it would be interesting for Birdie to learn more about what her great-grandfather experienced during the war.
The sense of setting in this novel is superb. Without getting too technical or boring, Quinn does a good job of creating the feel of the bayou and of giving the reader some interesting information about the ecosystem of the swamps. I lost myself in these descriptions, feeling like I was there right along with Birdie and Bowser.
This book abounds with well-done characters, though I didn't really feel as though I developed a really good sense about Birdie. She feels somewhat removed, a little mysterious, and I can't tell if this is because she's closed or if I just didn't get enough information about her. Grammy is very well done, though, as is Maybelline, who I hope to see more of in future installments. Even Birdie's mother, who makes only brief appearances during the course of the novel, felt very real to me. The best developed, of course, is Bowser, who drops lots of tantalizing hints about his past. Many of his lines made me smile.
It's always nice to read a middle grade novel where the adults are fully fleshed and feel integral to the young protagonist's world. Birdie is independent and does a lot on her own with the faithful Bowser by her side, but she also relies on adults when she needs to. That's not to say that the adults are always helpful to her or that they give her as much credit as they ought to give her, but the amount of liberty Birdie displays feels realistic, unlike some middle grade novels where kids have far too much freedom to make the narrative very believable.
This book doesn't shy away from difficult issues either, though it deals with them in an age-appropriate way. I think there's a lot of value in introducing kids to some of life's thornier topics by way of books. It helps kids imagine what it would be like to be in that position, but while they're in a position of safety and security. From Grammy's medical problems to the Sheriff's sometimes patronizing Birdie to the World War II era heist, the book does a good job of showing how people sometimes make bad decisions, and how blindness can create additional complications in life.
If the child in your life is a dog lover--as my daughter is--this book ought to be a winner. It's a promising start to a new series, one whose continuation I'm looking forward to.