A Dog Like Daisy

by Kristin O'Donnell Tubb

Overview

Max meets A Dog Called Homeless in this sweet and poignant middle grade novel told from the humorous, thoughtful perspective of a rescued pit bull as she trains to be a service dog for an injured veteran and his family. 

Daisy has only ten weeks to prove her usefulness or else be sent back to the pound. Yet if she goes back, who will protect Colonel Victor from his PTSD attacks? Or save the littler human, Micah, from those infernal ear muzzles he calls earphones? What if no one ever adopts her again?

Determined to become the elite protector the colonel needs, Daisy vows to ace the service dog test. She’ll accept the ridiculous leash and learn to sit, heel, shake, even do your business, Daisy when told to.

But Daisy must first learn how to face her own fears from the past or risk losing the family she’s so desperate to guard—again.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780062463258
Publisher:	HarperCollins
Publication date:	03/12/2019
Edition description:	Reprint
Pages:	192
Sales rank:	370,425
Product dimensions:	5.10(w) x 7.50(h) x 0.50(d)
Lexile:	550L (what's this?)
Age Range:	8 - 12 Years

About the Author

Kristin O'Donnell Tubb is the author of The Decomposition of Jack; Luna Howls at the Moon; Zeus, Dog of Chaos; the Story Collector series; A Dog Like Daisy; and other middle grade titles. She lives near Nashville, TN, with her bouncy-loud family. Just like her two dogs, she can be bribed with cheese. You can visit her online at kristintubb.com. 

Editorial Reviews

Daisy’s voice is strong, painting a world with canine synesthesia: happy days are yellow, untruths taste like turkey bacon. With joint appeal to children of soldiers and dog-lovers, this is likely to find a broad audience.

Booklist Online

The emotional journey of veterans experiencing PTSD is a difficult subject, and this book explores it with empathy and candor. The commitment of these characters—human and canine—to confront their past and find freedom in the future offers an inspiring example of personal resilience.

Chapter 16

Beautifully written, this big-hearted book is filled with courage, guts, loyalty, and hope, just like Daisy herself. Truly a celebration of the healing power of love!

Bobbie Pyron

Praise for Selling Hope: “Tubb deftly ingrains a thoughtful ethical question into the story…but never overdoes it in this bouncy tale populated by a terrific cast of characters. The well-synthesized period flavor extends right down to the one-liners that punctuate Hope’s earnest, easygoing, and perfectly pitched narration.

Booklist (starred review)

Daisy’s wry comments on human foibles and eccentricities...combine to paint a moving picture of suffering and, ultimately, redemption. Daisy is distinctive and memorable, and this depiction of PTSD is useful, making this a fine, compelling tale.” — Kirkus Reviews

“Avid canine lovers will surely appreciate the intimate look at Daisy’s yearning for purpose. The focus on...service dogs should enlighten readers about the ways our four-legged companions function as more than just pets. A poignant animal tale, and a strong addition to most collections.” — School Library Journal

“Daisy’s voice is strong, painting a world with canine synesthesia: happy days are yellow, untruths taste like turkey bacon. With joint appeal to children of soldiers and dog-lovers, this is likely to find a broad audience.” — Booklist Online

“The emotional journey of veterans experiencing PTSD is a difficult subject, and this book explores it with empathy and candor. The commitment of these characters—human and canine—to confront their past and find freedom in the future offers an inspiring example of personal resilience.” — Chapter 16

“Beautifully written, this big-hearted book is filled with courage, guts, loyalty, and hope, just like Daisy herself. Truly a celebration of the healing power of love!” — Bobbie Pyron, author of A Dog's Way Home

Praise for The 13th Sign: “An original, action-packed plot, a resilient heroine, a twist ending and 12 sly, angry Keepers will hold readers on edge. The ultimate astrological fantasy.” — Kirkus Reviews

“The swiftly paced plot will please readers used to Hunger Games-style action. Kids into astrology and horoscopes will hang on every chapter, especially when they find out that the concept of Ophiuchus exists and is used in some beliefs.” — Booklist Online

Praise for Selling Hope: “Tubb deftly ingrains a thoughtful ethical question into the story…but never overdoes it in this bouncy tale populated by a terrific cast of characters. The well-synthesized period flavor extends right down to the one-liners that punctuate Hope’s earnest, easygoing, and perfectly pitched narration.” — Booklist (starred review)

“Tubb uses rich historical material well in this clever story whose time line is a 17-day countdown to the comet catastrophe.” — School Library Journal

From the Publisher

This bighearted book is filled with courage, guts, loyalty, and hope, just like Daisy herself.

James Patterson

03/01/2017
Gr 4–7—Narrated by Daisy, a dog with a flower-shaped imprint around her eye, this heartwarming novel is about the rigorous training necessary to become an effective service dog. While Daisy is sensitive, loyal, and insightful, she discovers that these are not qualities that Colonel Victor needs for handling his post-traumatic stress disorder. She is selected to become a useful "tool" rather than a simple pet. When Daisy ultimately fails all of her service training tests, it seems that she is destined to return to the pound. However, she comes to realize that she has the potential to fulfill another equally indispensable job for a new family as a beloved companion. Tubb's frequent use of metaphors and similes throughout enables readers to comprehend a dog's point of view. Phrases such as "petting is a joy like sunshine" and "false enthusiasm tastes like salt water" and comparisons (e.g., "leashes" being described as an "indignity") are clever additions to the text and make this title accessible and appealing. Even "danger" has a specific "taste." Other animals in Daisy's world make strong impressions. Smaug, an elderly bearded dragon companion of the colonel's son, emerges with surprising understanding and awareness. Avid canine lovers will surely appreciate the intimate look at Daisy's yearning for purpose. The focus on the less common topic of service dogs should enlighten readers about the ways our four-legged companions function as more than just pets. VERDICT A poignant animal tale, and a strong addition to most collections.—Etta Anton, Yeshiva of Central Queens, NY

School Library Journal

2017-03-06
Remember Black Beauty?Who really knows how a horse (or, in this case, a dog) thinks? Tubb has taken a stab at it, and for dog lovers, Daisy's first-dog voice will be completely believable. Confined in an animal shelter, she's chosen by the Colonel, a brave war veteran suffering from severe PTSD, his young teen son, Micah, and Alex, a dog trainer, to be trained to be the Colonel's service animal. Daisy is eager to please and willing to give her all to help this suffering Mexican-American family. Sadly, she seems to have PTSD herself after a brutal first home where she was forced to fight other dogs and the loss of her litter of puppies to a garbage truck (a terrifying scene revealed in flashback). Daisy's wry comments on human foibles and eccentricities, along with her sensitive, growing understanding of the broken dynamic of the Colonel's family (she observes that Micah constantly wears headphones that no one realizes are shut off, for example), combine to paint a moving picture of suffering and, ultimately, redemption. At times issues are oversimplified; the Colonel's rejection of Daisy after she twice fails her certification test followed by his abrupt change of heart in deciding to keep her on as a family pet feels facile. Daisy is distinctive and memorable, and this depiction of PTSD is useful, making this a fine, compelling tale. (Fiction. 10-14)

Kirkus Reviews