Dog Tags: Strays, by C. Alexander London (Scholastic, 2012, 210 pp, $5.99, ages 10-14, book 2 in a 4-book series*) Review by Skye Anderson
How Far Would You Go To Save a Life?
We meet Chuck and Ajax, his German Shepherd military working dog (MWD), a scout dog, in Vietnam. Teams like Chuck and Ajax rotate from unit to unit and generally work as point, leading a patrol and acting as an early warning, thus saving lives. Chuck is at the end of his fourth tour, having re-upped because he feels his work in important, but suddenly he receives orders to return to the States near the end of the Vietnam Conflict.
But what about Ajax? Chuck has been put in for a Bronze Star* but MWDs do not return home. Some have contracted a 'jungle disease' but most are classified as surplus military equipment and are euthanized not released while a war is going on and due to the expense of sending dogs back. A few are turned over to friendly forces, the ARVN.
A Hard Book to Read
About halfway through arises the realization that not all dogs make it back to the States after a conflict: they are euthanized (or were, in previous conflicts) at a rather young age. This can be very difficult for youngsters to learn about, particularly if they have a pet dog. For this reason, it might be a good idea for a parent to read this book first and then decide if the child is ready for it. And, of course, the parent should be ready for a discussion about this (and about other topics such as AWOL).
What The Reader Will Learn**
Young readers will learn a little about being a soldier during wartime in the Vietnam Conflict, as author Alexander London manages to seamlessly sneak in a history lesson or two. The reader will learn a lot about foxholes as all soldiers are experienced in digging and sleeping in.
The Plot
Strays is a thrill a minute (after about halfway) and the soldiers are very lucky as they flit from one situation to another. This reviewer tried to guess what would happen and was usually incorrect. Hopefully the young reader will be able to tell the characters apart (there are several of them) and the epilogue was probably written more for the adult reader, even causing some tears to flow.
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* but after 2 years, 1 month and 19 days, ". . . if anyone deserved the Bronze Star, it was Ajax. Chuck was just the guy at the other end of the leash." (p. 72)"
** just a couple of things that illustrate poetic license perhaps: in the book, the command to stop firing was "Hold your fire!" but in my Army (1983 and beyond) the command was "Cease fire!" And MWDs nowadays are nearly pets when off-duty and dearly beloved by soldiers in the unit - petted and played with. Author London portrays Ajax as being rather barky and not terribly friendly towards other soldiers in the unit to the point that some fear him. And a dog's thoughts off-duty tend to be "Am I full and am I safe? Is it time to play?"
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Book 1: Semper Fido (Afghanistan, Black Lab)
Book 2: Strays
Book 3: Prisoners of War (WW2, Doberman)
Book 4: Divided We Fall (Civil War, hound)
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