Angus and Sadie

May 2, 2005
Newbery Medalist Voigt (Dicey\x92s Song) offers a bighearted novel that playfully and affectingly combines human and canine perspectives of life on a farm. Mister and Missus, a young Maine couple, adopt two littermates that are part border collies. The author gives them distinctive personalities: adventuresome, confident Angus is a quick learner and a natural herder; smaller Sadie is initially timid and easily distracted, yet becomes increasingly independent and brave\x97and gracefully dances with moths. The extremely eager-to-please pair will as easily endear themselves to readers as they do to their new owners. At first, the puppies\x92 conversation, presented in italics, is limited to the simplest utterances (\x93Hungry! Me, too!\x94). Yet as they grow, so do their vocabularies\x97and their contributions to the narrative. In addition to quoting Angus and Sadie directly, the text slips in and out of their thoughts, which occasionally creates some awkward, though comprehensible, sentences (\x93Also very bad was to grab two corners of the seed trays Missus had set out on a low table, and pull as hard as you could, twisting your heads, pulling, until the dirt all spilled out and the tray broke\x94). Their owners\x92 attempts at training the pups bring about some wry results, as well as entertaining comments from the trainees. The strongest element of this folksy tale is the sibling rapport between the canines, a credible combination of competition and support. Dog lovers will lap this up. Ages 8-12.

May 1, 2005
Gr 4-6 -Two border collie puppies adopted by a Maine farm couple try to decipher what Mister and Missus really want and how to fulfill their role as faithful and useful companions. The pups are polar opposites. Angus is an alpha male with an abundance of self-confidence. Sadie is submissive, introspective, and dominated by her brother. Of course, Mister quickly believes that Angus is the more talented of the pair but Missus reassures Sadie that she is special, too. When Angus's bossiness reaches a peak, Sadie proves to be courageous and smart and he begins to respect her. There is an old-fashioned style to this story about the different personality traits in siblings and learning to respect those differences. The drama is slight -a sheep or two are rescued and two cat bullies are put in their place. Although Sadie is a very sympathetic character, Angus's cockiness borders on annoying, and Mister's attention to him at Sadie's expense seems chauvinistic. The leisurely pace of this story and lack of action may limit its appeal to only the most ardent dog-story enthusiasts." -Carol Schene, Taunton Public Schools, MA"

Copyright 2005 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

June 27, 2005
Newbery Medalist Voigt (Diceys Song) offers a bighearted novel that playfully and affectingly combines human and canine perspectives of life on a farm. Mister and Missus, a young Maine couple, adopt two littermates that are part border collies. The author gives them distinctive personalities: adventuresome, confident Angus is a quick learner and a natural herder; smaller Sadie is initially timid and easily distracted, yet becomes increasingly independent and braveand gracefully dances with moths. The extremely eager-to-please pair will as easily endear themselves to readers as they do to their new owners. At first, the puppies conversation, presented in italics, is limited to the simplest utterances (Hungry! Me, too!). Yet as they grow, so do their vocabulariesand their contributions to the narrative. In addition to quoting Angus and Sadie directly, the text slips in and out of their thoughts, which occasionally creates some awkward, though comprehensible, sentences (Also very bad was to grab two corners of the seed trays Missus had set out on a low table, and pull as hard as you could, twisting your heads, pulling, until the dirt all spilled out and the tray broke). Their owners attempts at training the pups bring about some wry results, as well as entertaining comments from the trainees. The strongest element of this folksy tale is the sibling rapport between the canines, a credible combination of competition and support. Dog lovers will lap this up. Ages 8-12. (May)

Copyright 2005 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

April 15, 2005
Gr. 4-6. Mister and Missus go to the animal shelter to choose a dog and come home with two mixed-breed puppies (part border collie, part shepherd, part unknown) that they name Angus and Sadie. The pups explore Mister and Missus' farm in Maine and quickly settle into their routine. Larger than his sister and quick to learn, Angus becomes the leader; Sadie, the runt of the litter and burdened by a cast on her leg, is more timid than her brother. As they grow over the next year, Angus trains hard and participates in dog trials, while Sadie shows her mettle by saving a sheep and standing up to the cats. Children who love dogs may find it fascinating to read a novel that so vividly imagines their thoughts and their communications with each other. Innocent in spirit and illustrated with several small drawings per chapter, this book will also suit younger children who are reading beyond their grade level.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2005, American Library Association.)

July 1, 2005
When farmers Mister and Missus decide to get a dog, they end up with two border collies: Angus, a strong, confident pup; and his sister Sadie, an endearing klutz. Together, Angus and Sadie grow up, the turning of the seasons gently governing the rhythms of life in a way that's pleasingly reminiscent of that other Maine farm sketched so thoroughly by E. B. White. Voigt, whose touch with dogs is as deft as it is with humans, limns two distinct and appealing characters, the exclamation points of puppyhood spaced more widely but not disappearing as they mature. Angus, to whom everything comes easily, defines "weird" as "what's not normal.... It's what's different from me." Sadie cheerfully accepts what life deals her, even when Angus tells her she shouldn't. When Sadie's heroic and completely unexpected rescue of a stray sheep upsets the natural order of things (as Angus sees it), it sets off a sibling crisis (as far as Angus is concerned). This crisis is resolved only after Angus realizes, "We're not the same!... We're different!" "I know," comes Sadie's serene reply. Although Angus and Sadie may evoke Charlotte's Web, it is different -- and in literature, as in life, that'll do.

(Copyright 2005 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)

July 1, 2005
In a Maine farm story that evokes "Charlotte's Web", Angus is a strong, confident border collie pup; his sister Sadie is an endearing klutz. When Sadie's heroic rescue of a stray sheep upsets the natural order of things (as Angus sees it), it sets off a sibling crisis, which is satisfyingly resolved.

(Copyright 2005 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)