Friday, January 13, 2017

Dear Mr. Trump, Read this Book!

Dear Mr. Trump,

In a word, read. Reading is magic.

On 17 July 2016, Marc Fisher of the Washington Post wrote that you appear “to have an unusually light appetite for reading.” If you take the suggestions here at DogEvals, you will increase your appetite for great books.

If you ever get a chance to meet this author, Laurie Halse Anderson (no relation to this reviewer), you will be kept in stitches! She spoke at a booksellers’ conference that I attended in Baltimore several years ago and I was totally mesmerized: it is hard to believe that someone who has such an ‘alone’ occupation as writing can be so social and funny.

On second thought, of course, you can meet her. Just call her up. As President, you will have better luck getting through to her than the average person.

Here is today’s book for young readers (I put non-readers such as yourself in that category, attempting to entice you to spend just a half-hour in private – reading).

The Vet Volunteers: Teacher’s Pet, Name: Maggie, by Laurie Halse Anderson (Scholastic Books, 140 pages, 2009 – 8 year-olds and non-reading President-designates [at the time of this writing]) There are at least 17 Vet Volunteer titles in the series.


Background

Maggie is a 7th grader who lives with her Gran, a veterinarian. With her four diverse friends, Maggie volunteers at the veterinary clinic and knows animals.

The book opens with the beginning of middle school, which is hard for a non-student like Maggie: she even has to read the Constitution. (Have you read the Constitution, Mr. Trump?) And, to top it off, the biology teacher is blind and uses a new seeing-eye dog!

A dog lover, Maggie finds it difficult to not pet the guide dog when he has on his working vest.

But, the dog and the teacher don’t seem to have bonded well. Scout the dog, is worried that he is not doing a good job. Maggie wants to help, but, . . . .

Meanwhile, Back in Middle School

Maggie arrives at her second day of school and biology class only to find out they have a pop quiz and she hasn’t finished her homework. “And here I was, thinking he was a good guy [Maggie’s science teacher], different than the other teachers! They’re all the same, trying to trick us into making mistakes.” (p. 71) 

Then comes the accident.

What happens next is something you will have to read yourself, Mr. Trump, or ask your son Baron. Do the science teacher and his guide dog become friends? Does Maggie survive seventh grade?


At the end of the book you will find a few pages that explain a bit about raising and training a guide dog with questions so you can determine if your family has what it takes to raise such a puppy. Mr. Trump, what a wonderful role model your family would make for the entire country if you were to raise a guide dog pup!

Yours Truly, the gang at DogEvals


Tomorrow: Puppy Patrol #6, Tug of Love

Caveat: You can probably find this book at your local public library. Or try a used-books store.

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