Dogs of War by Sheila Keenan & Nathan Fox YP FIC KEENAN

Boots, Loki, Sheba.  Three dogs in three wars that wagged their take in the face of death.  Boots braves the dangers and rats of trench warfare of WW I, Loki pulls a sled in a forgotten front of WW II, and Sheba sniffs out snipers and booby traps in the jungles of Vietnam. A harrowing but hopeful look at the ravages of war and the humanity and canine-ity  that comes from unlikely heroes.

This is a gorgeously illustrated and very well measured look at war.  It has all the rousing adventure and excitement that is common of classic war movies and stories, but looks at the all-too-high human cost of war. It never turns The Enemy into an evil monolithic force, and invites the reader to both feel the fear of being fired upon and the sadness of having to fire back to survive. Best of all is it has dogs!  Great, beautiful, heroic dogs that absolutely leap off the page and into your heart!  I felt as much (if not more) tension worrying what would happen to the dogs as I did for the human characters. the book does occasionally stray very close to cliche, but the unique and detailed artwork keeps it from every feeling cheesy or stagnant. Fox uses a slew of clever artistic devices to bring the reader into the action: tight, cramped panels to press the claustrophobia of trench warfare, the use of bright color against expanses of white and light blues to play off the feeling of being all too visible against an invisible enemy, dreams and reality fading into each other for a vet that is still in the jungle even when he make sit home, and more. The only gripe I have is that it perpetuates the long discredited myth of Vietnam veterans being spat upon when returning home. This is a commonly told myth, so it doesn't distract too much from the overall story. If you are a fan of comics, then you have a great beautiful book to read, and if you like war stories at all this could be a great way to break into graphic novels.

You can find Dogs of War in our catalog here.

Doglands by Tim Willocks YP FIC WILLOCKS

Furgul is born into the harsh life of a greyhound puppy mill, but his birth marks him for death.  He’s a half breed, his father a stray that snuck in and out of the seemingly inescapable mill.  Furgul is slated to be killed in vicious the dog fighting ring and his only hope is to try and find his father in the fabled Doglands.

Full disclosure: I can NOT read the minds of dogs.  However, if I could, I feel confident that it would be very similar to Doglands.  That is the real hook of Doglands: getting inside the heads of pooches in peril.  I really found myself believing in and caring about the characters, which is hard enough to find with humans. The book looks at the choice between the safety of being a pet and the risk of being free.  It’s a very clever allegory about human existence as well as an exciting read.  I think this book has a huge amount of crossover appeal to fans of YA of all stripes.

Laika by Nick Abadzis YP FIC ABADZIS

This graphic novel by Nick Abadzis mixes fact and fiction to tell the true story about the first creature to travel in space. The world’s first cosmonaut (Soviet astronaut) was a tiny dog named Laika. The story of one dog’s birth, life, and voyage beyond the reaches of the Earth is mirrored in the people that surround him. Laika is not just a story about a dog; it is also a fascinating history of space exploration, Soviet politics, and the value of a single life versus the costs of ambition.

Laika is drawn with a simple and rough style that really draws you in after a few pages. The characters and story feel real and alive. You might have a tough time putting this one down and you may want to have some tissues ready. SPOILER ALERT: This story has a tearjerker ending.