June 5

‘Brind and the Dogs of War’ by John Russell

BrindImagine having to live with dogs, sleep with them, eat with them, bath with them. Who would do such a thing?

That’s what Brind, an orphan boy, has to do. But he doesn’t mind, he actually likes it. The dogs are like family to him. He would do anything for them. War starts and soldiers take him and the dogs to fight in the war and his life is thrown into chaos. The dogs are used to strike fear into the enemy and tear through small infantry. Brind’s job is to train the dogs and get them ready for battle as well as looking after them and making sure they stay alive. Brind doesn’t fit into the army and is shocked by the horrors and the destruction of war. Soon he finds friends along the lines of infantry and the people that are affected badly by the war. Brind and his friends must survive amongst the ranks of the army and deal with rogue soldiers, mad villagers and prisoners of war. Can Brind and the dogs make it through the war?

I would rate this book a 2 out of 5 stars only because it had a good storyline but it wasn’t executed well. Most of the book was a bit boring and dull. It didn’t have much emotion in it. I didn’t feel excited, happy or sad when I thought I should be. It had some good war and battle scenes but that was it. I really thought this book could have been a good war/adventure book because it had a good layout of the war and had good information about the war. It had so much more potential than to be a boring read. I suggest you still give it a try if you like a normal adventure book but if you are a hardcore reader who likes thick books with juicy storylines then this isn’t the book for you.

Joseph, Year 8

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Posted June 5, 2013 by marjk in category Adventure stories, Historical fiction, Student Reviews

About the Author

Teacher-librarian at Aquinas College, Southport, Gold Coast, Australia

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