My Dog the Champion

Gr 5 Up—For Madison, played by Dora Madison Burge, life is carefree and full of fun. Her days are spent texting her friends, shopping, and drinking lattes. When her mother is deployed overseas, Madison is sent to live with the cattle-rancher grandfather she hasn't seen in several years. For a 16-year-old city girl, this is the end of the world, until a lonely cattle dog, Ace, who lives at the ranch, becomes Madison's new companion. The teen will learn that she needs the dog just as much as the dog needs her to believe in him. New friendships are made along the way with local boy Eli (Cody Linley). Madison's grandfather is on the verge of losing the ranch. Can Madison, Eli, and Ace help save the farm by winning a dog-agility contest with a grand prize of $5,000? Overall, the film is a tasteful, family-oriented story with undertones of romance between Madison and Eli. Overall, their fondness for one another is subdued, but a scene in which Eli removes his shirt in Madison's presence adds unecessary sexuality. Middle school and high school students can relate to being thrown into an unknown situation and having to make the best of it, while hopefully learning to view the adults in their lives in a new, positive light.—Katy Charles, Virgil Elementary School, Cortland, NY