The Soul of the Silver Dog - Hardcover

Hard-boiled Trish Winterbottom is on the verge of having her new champion Bedlington terrier put down; glaucoma has left him blind and useless for showing. But her daughter's love-starved best friend Cory, 13, has a better idea: she'll adopt Sterling and at least ``give him a happy life.'' Cory enjoys going with the Winterbottoms to dog shows, though she dislikes the cutthroat competition; now she learns of one event, as yet unrecognized by the AKC, in which Sterling may compete: ``agility,'' which draws a nicer, more laid-back crowd. For a year, Cory devotes herself to tenderly training Sterling to maneuver an obstacle course of jumps, tunnels, and swaying bridges in response to voice commands; his fourth-place ribbon is a triumph for both. The authentic doggy details--complete with a rough-diamond groomer who provides moral support and a chance to earn money for supplies--dominate the narrative here; a co-plot concerning the emotional rehabilitation of Cory's family, withdrawn and alienated since her little sister's death from cystic fibrosis, is developed schematically rather than in depth. Sterling's sudden, painful death in the end seems contrived to give Cory a needed insight: her mother had not so much abandoned her as grieved ``for the loss of the little girl to whom [she] had been the world.'' The prolific Hall knows her craft, but this is not among her best; still, a good addition where dog stories are popular. (Fiction. 9-12) -- Copyright ©1992, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.

Grade 6-9-- When 14-year-old Cory first touches the blind Bedlington terrier--once a champion show dog--the two bond instantly. Cory hasn't adjusted to the change in her family following the arrival of her sister, who was born with cystic fibrosis. Bethy's lifelong illness, her need for care, and subsequent death has created a breach between Cory and her well-meaning but still grieving parents. Together, she and the dog, Sterling, find new purpose, as she trains the former champ in the agility category; he provides the unconditional love she needs. Effectively alternating Cory and Sterling's perspectives, the narrative poignantly reveals the characters. Set in a small Illinois town, the story focuses on these two with such intensity that the other participants are relegated to the fringes. Once launched, the action moves rapidly into the preparation for the competition. Obstacles are resolved and readiness achieved with incredible ease; the ending is unsatisfactorily abrupt. Despite these weaknesses, this book will touch readers' hearts by believably re-creating the special relationship that can develop between child and pet, and by realistically addressing the complex emotions resulting from the fatal illness of a sibling. --Carrol McCarthy, Tower Hill School, Wilmington, DE
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc.