Synopsis: Sam is a typical twelve-year-old boy who works on his parent’s farm, but is not as interested in horses as his horse-training family. However, he does his best to help out until an incident when he is riding with his mother. After saving her from becoming nearly trampled, his viewpoint changes … until a strange horse comes to their farm with quirks, earning him the name Dog. Dog likes Sam right away, but Sam wants nothing to do with him, as he is the son of Trumpeter, the horse that nearly maimed his mother for life. Sam has a hard time dealing with not only the memory of the accident, but the extra chores and responsibilities suddenly thrust upon him, one of which is training Dog. Because his mother is out of work and people are canceling orders, money is scarce. With the Indiana Classic coming up-a local horse race with a huge purse-will Sam be able to befriend Dog and save their farm, or will Dog go back to his present owner, never to be seen again? Find out in Theresa Oliver’s first pre-teen novel, A Horse Named Dog. Theresa Oliver’s young people’s novel, A Horse Named Dog, is a compassionate story about connections: between boy and horse, boy and parents, boy and the world around him. It also addresses concerns about dealing with problems and overcoming fears, no matter how justifiable these fears might be. Sam connects with the horse named Dog. Sam has a positive connection with both of his parents, although he does challenge his dad’s insistence that Sam helps with the horse training after his mother’s accident that leaves her laid up for some time. Sam is also capable of expressing his opinions, both to his parents and to mean horse trainers who try to take Dog away from him. But the most compassionate connection is between the boy and the horse. This is a touching story. It opens the heart to human-animal bonding and parent-child bonding. … The story as a whole is very endearing. Readers’ Favorite
