Everything for a Dog

Everything for a Dog by Ann M. Martin
Copyright 2009
Published by Feiwal and Friends
Lexile Measure: 890
Grade: 6

Dog, Boy, Tragedy, Friendship, Family

Everything for a Dog is a story of desire and tragedy from multiple perspectives.  This is a great book to teach perspective with! The three main characters are Bone (a dog), Charlie, and Henry.  Ann M. Martin develops resilient characters who provide insight into into the hardships of each of their lives.  The characters' stories intersect and leave the reader yearning for more.  This is a great book for your dog-lovers, or anyone that has ever had or wanted a dog!

Teachers, here are some suggestions for activities and resources that go along with this novel:

Key Vocabulary:

• ambled, coax, swiveled, tentatively, predator, tantalizing, exuberant 

Before Reading Activity:

• This book is written through the voices of three narrators, which give multiple perspectives for students to have to follow. This might be their first encounter with different perspectives in one book, so it is important that they are aware of the structure of the text. Explain to students that there can be multiple narrators in a single book.  Have each student write a paragraph about recess in their journals, so that they can compare how each of their perspectives of the same event are different.

During Reading:

• Create a character web so that students can more easily follow the characters as their lives intersect. 

After Reading:

• Give students a writing prompt for their journals such as this one: "In the book, all Henry wanted was a dog.  Have you ever wanted something so much that you would do anything for it? Write a persuasive letter to a parent or guardian, convincing them to let you have what you want."

 Web Resources:

• Have students create a Voki! Voki is an online tool that students can use to create an avatar of a character in a book.  This gives the students the opportunity to be creative and use their knowledge of the characters to create them themselves!
• Create a Story! Use this scholastic tool, from Scholastic's Flashlight Readers, to choose a scene, character, and a story starter.  Students can create up to five scenes to complete their stories!

Martin, A. M. (2009). Everything for a dog. New York : Feiwel and Friends.