Walkin’ the Dog

Gr 5-9–In his family, Louis is known as the “inactivist” who does not want to be involved with anyone or anything. He and his younger sister Faye have been homeschooled for years but, with his mother staying at a residential treatment facility for addiction, his father has decided that Louis will start public high school. His father tries to keep the family afloat, but he is dealing with his own issues, as well. Though younger than Louis, Faye has stepped into a motherly role while their mother stays at the Knoll. Their big brother Ike is a police cadet; Louis has a love-hate relationship with Ike, and Ike has a hate relationship with almost everyone. Lynch’s skill at portraying complex family interactions extends to friendships as well. Louis is happily friendless and unbound by any societal ties apart from his nuclear family but, with his mother’s urging and his father’s desperate need, reaches out to the owner of the neighborhood’s stinky dog and surprises everyone by quickly growing a successful dog-walking business. Not only does Louis become an entrepreneur, he makes two very important friends, Agatha and Cy, and he also widens his world and accepts that he must be an active part of life. Lynch’s work is lyrical and compelling, but the ending feels a bit rushed. Due to mentions of assault and some rough language, the recommended age level for readers is middle school and up.