Everything for a Dog

By: Ann M. Martin
Feiwel and Friends, 2009
Reading Level: 5.4 (Accelerated Reader)
Guided Reading

Description: Fiction, Chapter Book

Charlie, Henry, and Bone are three different characters who each have a problem to deal with in their lives.  Charlie is a young boy who has experiences a tragic loss.  Bone is a stray dog searching for some food and a family to care for him.  All Henry has ever wanted for Christmas is a dog and yet his parents refuse to get him one.  Although they each face a challenge, in the end these three will find that their lives intertwine in an unexpected way.  Ann M. Martin addresses the themes of friendship, loss, and resilience in Everything for a Dog.

*Teacher Resources for Everything for a Dog

Supporting Electronic Resources:
Teacher Guide
This guide to Everything for a Dog is a useful teacher resource that contains pre-reading discussion ideas, challenging vocabulary from the story, discussion questions, writing activities with related standards, and related websites.
Macmillan
Use this site as a post-reading resource to find ideas for discussion questions as well as narrative, persuasive, and expository writing prompts.

Vocabulary:
ajar, drowse, revere, dolefully, amble, forlorn, tromp, cajole, tentatively, lope, rehabilitation, eave, reprimand, incredulous, galvanized, grimacing, exuberant, skittish

Teaching Suggestions:
-Focus on the difference between first and third person writing
-Discuss the role that fate has in the outcome of the story
-Use this story to demonstrate how character comparison maps are used

Comprehension Strategies:
Pre-Reading- Discuss the layout of the book before reading.  Since each chapter switches from one character to the other, it can be confusing for students to keep track of what is happening in the story.  Also mention the differences between first and third person in writing.
After Reading- Use Make Beliefs Comix and have students create an online comic that summarizes the various characters from the story.

Writing Activity:
Pretend that you are Bone and write journal entries from Bone's point of view.  Mention how you feel, what you see and smell, and how you survive on the streets.