AUTHOR: Boaz Yakin, Jennifer Li Shotz, Sheldon Lettich
PUBLISHER: HarperCollins
PUBLISHING DATE: June 9, 2015
FROM GOODREADS:
This movie novelization of the soon-to-be major motion picture tells the story of a canine hero.
When Justin's older brother, Kyle, is killed in Afghanistan, Justin can't believe that his brother is really gone. Except there's one thing that Kyle left behind…
Max is a highly trained military canine who has always protected his fellow soldiers. But when he loses his handler and best friend, Kyle, Max is traumatized and unable to remain in the service.
He is sent home to America, where the only human he connects with is Justin, and he is soon adopted by Kyle's family, essentially saving his life. At first Justin has no interest in taking care of his late brother's troubled dog. However, the two learn to trust each other, which helps the four-legged veteran become his heroic self once more. As the pair start to unravel the mystery of what really happened to Kyle, they find more excitement—and danger—than they bargained for. But they might also find an unlikely new best friend—in each other.
MY THOUGHTS: This book is your typical feel-good, family-friendly Disney-like story. In fact, the middle grade novel is based on the movie brought to use by the creators of Marley and Me and Remember the Titans...so basically you get the picture. I was interested to pick up the book because I have yet to see the movie, and wanted to prepare myself for a sobfest once it came out on DVD and yep, I am pretty much right.
Max comes to live with Justin and his family when Kyle, Max's military handler and Kyle's brother, gets killed in battle. Max has issues stemming from losing Kyle and so does the family. Basically this is a "can they save each other?" premise. I thought the book was decent and being middle grade, it was a quick read. Justin is a struggling teen and his father really has issues so in the beginning, I didn't much care for Justin's father - but I don't really think the readers are supposed to like him. Something suspicious is up when Tyler, Kyle's best friend, comes home from service early and Max and Kyle try to figure it out.
Max really gets the wrong end of the stick in this book. Many people don't like him and find him aggressive. He was trained to be a hero and basically the only one who can put aside their grief long enough to see that Max also suffered a loss is Justin, who basically is in the same boat as Max. This would be a wonderful book for 4th-6th graders who want to know more about military dogs or dogs in general. It is a good story and I am glad I picked it up.
RATING: 3 PAWS
BOOKER Ts THOUGHTS: Max is a war hero. Enough said! 5 PAWS!!!!!!!
COYER SCAVENGER HUNT CHALLENGE # 44 - Read a book that has been turned into a movie.
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