Scan barcode
nicolemhewitt's review against another edition
4.0
This was a great book to read with my daughter - highly recommended for any child who loves animals and/or adventure stories. The story tells of three dogs who are searching for their humans after all of the people suddenly mysteriously disappear. The dogs have to fight hungry wolves and strange dictator-led dog societies that pop up in the absence of people to take care of them. It's not always particularly realistic (the dogs are smarter than your average canine), but it's great fun and highly suspenseful. My daughter can't wait until June to read the next one and to find out what happened to all the people!
lizaroo71's review against another edition
4.0
i found this among the new releases in the children's section of my library. i got it because i love the cover. the story proved itself to be worthy of my attention also.
max is at the vet's office in a kennel when he realizes that the humans are gone. with the help of a dachsund (rocky) with moxy, max breaks free of the kennel and sets out to find where his pack leaders have gone.
on the way, rocky and max encounter wolves; a pack of dogs attempting to create their own utopia without the help of humans; cats that have taken over a town; and the corporation (dogs ruling dogs). they also pick up a tiny companion gizmo.
overall, this is an interesting story that moves at an even pace with excitment around every corner.
it is the beginning of a series, which i try to stay away from, but i am hooked. the next in the series doesn't release until next summer.
max is at the vet's office in a kennel when he realizes that the humans are gone. with the help of a dachsund (rocky) with moxy, max breaks free of the kennel and sets out to find where his pack leaders have gone.
on the way, rocky and max encounter wolves; a pack of dogs attempting to create their own utopia without the help of humans; cats that have taken over a town; and the corporation (dogs ruling dogs). they also pick up a tiny companion gizmo.
overall, this is an interesting story that moves at an even pace with excitment around every corner.
it is the beginning of a series, which i try to stay away from, but i am hooked. the next in the series doesn't release until next summer.
ttayfel1997's review against another edition
5.0
I throughly enjoyed reading this with my students. Some of the topics tend to fall a little bit on the more mature side (death, murder, etc.) but it wasn't anything my students couldn't handle. We are all upset (but a good upset) that the book ended on a cliffhanger. Although we won't have time to read the next book in the series before the school year ends, I've encouraged my students to continue the story on their own (I know I will).
briandice's review against another edition
4.0
This started as a buddy read with my 9-year old daughter but a third of the way in - somewhere around the start of fourth grade, dance classes and [b:Bridge to Terabithia|2839|Bridge to Terabithia|Katherine Paterson|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1327880087s/2839.jpg|2237401] - I was abandoned. She promises to finish it some day, but I'm trying to clear the 2014 "current reading" deck, so I tackled the rest of the book solo.
The story is a fun read, full of action for a young reader - especially dog loving children. Told through the eyes of a pack of dogs thrown together after an untold apocalyptic event takes all of the humans away, Max and his chums encounter all types of travails in their attempt to find their human families. The book presents a great opportunity to talk to young ones about mortality - we all vanish, after all.
Somehow I lost the thread that this was a series, and I just finished this first book with a cliffhanger. Ugh. Come on, Belinda - catch up so we can read Book 2 together!
:)
The story is a fun read, full of action for a young reader - especially dog loving children. Told through the eyes of a pack of dogs thrown together after an untold apocalyptic event takes all of the humans away, Max and his chums encounter all types of travails in their attempt to find their human families. The book presents a great opportunity to talk to young ones about mortality - we all vanish, after all.
Somehow I lost the thread that this was a series, and I just finished this first book with a cliffhanger. Ugh. Come on, Belinda - catch up so we can read Book 2 together!
:)
jenleah's review against another edition
4.0
Read this aloud with my seven and eight year olds. Action packed, great doggy characters (and a few cats). Definitely recommended for older children as there are some sad scenes.
pencilforge's review against another edition
3.0
A post-apocalyptic Homeward Bound, and believe it or not this is not the first one I've read. Apparently this is a burgeoning genre where pets try to survive in a world where their owners have left them.
Max, the generic everyman Golden Retriever, is left locked in his cage for a week only to find out all the humans have all dissapeared- and there are wolves poking their heads through the cat door, not a good sign.
Survivors is another book with almost the exact same plot. The main character is also a golden Retriever, bleh. I think post-apocalyptic dog stories should shake it up a little, maybe? (and there is also an evil poodle, what is the deal with poodle-hate?)
If I had to choose which one of these series was better, I would vote for The Last Dogs. The characters had more defined personalities the book was just less clumsy in tone in general. It leaned more on the humorous side, and at times it was not the most realistic, but who cares. I also like the aspect of the uneasy truce between the dogs and the cat society.
This book had dark moments at times, but never seemed to wallow in them sadistically. So where did all the humans go? Are the dogs carrying some sort of bubonic plague? Then why didn't the humans just wipe them out? Unfortunately you have to stay tuned for the next volume.
Although this book is somewhat long, it was not challenging and I read it in a day in addition to three classes. There were cases where the author told us how the characters felt instead of just showing us naturally. It also introduced so many characters and never developed them. What was the deal with that Chihuahua who thought he was a cat?
Max, the generic everyman Golden Retriever, is left locked in his cage for a week only to find out all the humans have all dissapeared- and there are wolves poking their heads through the cat door, not a good sign.
Survivors is another book with almost the exact same plot. The main character is also a golden Retriever, bleh. I think post-apocalyptic dog stories should shake it up a little, maybe? (and there is also an evil poodle, what is the deal with poodle-hate?)
If I had to choose which one of these series was better, I would vote for The Last Dogs. The characters had more defined personalities the book was just less clumsy in tone in general. It leaned more on the humorous side, and at times it was not the most realistic, but who cares. I also like the aspect of the uneasy truce between the dogs and the cat society.
This book had dark moments at times, but never seemed to wallow in them sadistically. So where did all the humans go? Are the dogs carrying some sort of bubonic plague? Then why didn't the humans just wipe them out? Unfortunately you have to stay tuned for the next volume.
Although this book is somewhat long, it was not challenging and I read it in a day in addition to three classes. There were cases where the author told us how the characters felt instead of just showing us naturally. It also introduced so many characters and never developed them. What was the deal with that Chihuahua who thought he was a cat?
yapha's review against another edition
4.0
A thrilling adventure as Max, Rocky, and Gizmo go in search of their people. All of the people have disappeared, leaving the dogs and other animals alone to fend for themselves. Max does not know where his people have gone, but he knows that he must find them. His journey is complicated by ferocious wolves, territorial cats, and several groups of dogs who think they know what is best now that the people are gone. The first in a trilogy -- I look forward to reading the rest!
ARC provided by publisher.
ARC provided by publisher.
orchidlilly's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
pinkpuffypomeranian's review
adventurous
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
_michelle_'s review
3.0
Nothing special in terms of writing or plot, it's not a series I'll re-read in the years to come; that said it is more entertaining than some of the better written, more literary books I've read, and its simplicity makes it a pretty easy read (a good thing for someone like me, as someone who deals with fibro fog and needs occasional breaks from the 1000+ page fantasy epics I like). I have the next two books in the series already lined up and hope to start them soon(ish), so I obviously don't regret reading this, even if it's not a favorite.
More...