Lean, S. (2012). A Dog Called Homeless. New York: HarperCollins Publishers.Junior Book Award Winner (2013)Schneider FamilyThis book is about a girl named Cally who can see her dead mother. Other than Cally, the only other thing that can see her mother is a dog that a homeless man is looking after. Through her experiences, Cally tries to convince her family that she can still see her mother and that the dog has some kind of connection to that. This story tugged on all of my emotions! Sarah Lean was able to bring the story to life through her wording and build on the different relationships that Cally had with her family members and friends, as well as the struggles she was having with trying to talk about her mother with her family. Although there were no illustrations in the story, Lean’s wording for the book allows the reader to produce a visual of their own for the story. I can see this story being used in 3rd-6th grade classrooms and it is a good way to teach students about accepting people and not being judgment of outer appearances. It is also a good book to teach students that they can do anything that they put their mind to. I really loved this book and I found myself connecting to it on a personal level with the loss of a parent. Lean, S. (2012). A Dog Called Homeless. New York: HarperCollins Publishers.School Library Journal (2012).Realistic Fiction This is a touching story of a young girl Cally that loses her mother and from there she stops communicating with others. Cally cannot forget her mother and her and her father go through much pain. In the end Cally with the help of her loved dog, a friend gets her life back. The book is intended for students in grades 4th-8th and could be used for a writing activity where students could change the end of the story. I felt sad reading this book.
it was wonderfull. it was sad and happy at the same time, but i recommend it to 5th and 6th graders
—siomararp
Beautifully written but incredibly sad story about a girl named Cally who has lost her mother.
—cv40
Decent kids book. Some of it is contrived to make you feel sad, but overall a quick read.
—ade
Loved this sweet, touching book!!!!
—Lyle
