When Friendship Followed Me Home by Paul Griffin

Middle School 

12-year-old Ben Coffin has never felt like her fit in. A former foster kid, he keeps his head down at school to avoid bullies and spends his afternoons reading sci-fi books at the library. But that all changes when he finds a scruffy abandoned dog named Flip and befriends the librarian’s daughter, Halley.

For the first time, Ben starts to feel like he belongs in his own life. Then, everything changes, and Ben is more alone than ever. But with a little help from Halley’s magician father, Ben discovers his place in the world and learns to see his own magic through others’ eyes.

The part I liked most about this book was how Flip the dog trained to become a therapy dog so he could do a program called ‘Reading with Rufus’. It’s a program where kids who have a hard time reading, read to dogs. I first heard of a program like this at my local library. I actually read to a dog, which is kind of weird since I was 19 or 20 at the time. The dog was a golden retriever and was so mellow it was almost unnatural. I’m hoping to train my autism service dog, Dude, to be a therapy dog because I want to take him into hospitals and old folks homes to cheer people up. I already take Dude out to stores and people are always happy to see his big happy face. It always makes me happy to see other people happy.

If you’ve read book like ‘Because of Winn-Dixie’, ‘Bridge to Terabithia’ and ‘One for the Murphys’ you’ll love this book. ‘When Friendship Followed Me Home’ has the same heartwarming, heartbreaking, and funny combination as these classic stories.

'Woof' and 'Arf' (Bowser and Birdie Novels) by Spencer Quinn

Kids and Adults 

Bowser, a shelter dog, and Birdie Gaux, an 11-year-old girl, live on the Louisiana coast with Birdie’s Grammy. When a prize stuffed marlin is stolen from Grammy’s bait and tackle shop, Birdie and Bowser decide to take on the case. But what looks like a straightforward break-in soon becomes as tangled as a tourist’s fishing line.

Was Grammy hiding a treasure map in the marlin? What’s up with Old Man Straker, owner of a rival tackle shop, and his juvenile-delinquent son? And most sinister of all, why does is suddenly look as if someone wants to harm Birdie?

A mystery told from the voice of a dog. Pure genius.

Just like ‘Ellie’s Story’ this story is told by the point of view of the dog. Bowser has the same scene of humor as Stan from ‘Dog with a Blog.’ Bowser’s dialogue throughout the book is so hilarious, like how people smell and how confusing humans are. I read this book with my mom and she loved it more than me.

The biggest question I had throughout this entire book was ‘What kinda past does this dog have?!’ Bowser keeps mentioning his past with ‘The Gang’ and all the criminal things they did. I kept hoping he would explain why he was with a gang in the first place.

*****

Bowser is back and wilder than ever!

A few months after being adopted by Birdie, Bowser’s doing great. But he’s on the trail of something rotten. Who broke into the Gaux’s family home? Why is a girl asking odd questions about what happened to Birdie’s dad, a policeman who was killed in the line of duty years ago? Worst of all, why is the whole town starting to stink of limeade and CAT!?

The death of Birdie’s father may be a cold case, but Bowser can tell it’s heating up fast. Someone is coming after Birdie and her family, and Bowser must be ready to protect them from anything. Even that awful cat.

This mystery was a lot more interesting than the last books’, I kept getting lost and confused.

There were two specific characters in this book who I can explain using my favorite expression. “The wheel is moving but the hamster is dead.” One other example: “The lights are on but nobody’s home.” These two sayings are more elegant ways of saying someone is not very smart or is just plain dumb. To be honest, Bowser is the smartest on in this story.

These books are available as audiobooks and I recommend listening to them on a road trip, especially if you have kids. I listened to these books with my niece and nephew and they just laughed and laughed.