User:Bearboozle/sandbox

A Dog's Life: The Autobiography of a Stray is a children's novel written in 2005 by Ann M. Martin and is published by Scholastic Books. The target audience for this book is grades 4-6. It is written in the voice of a female stray dog named Squirrel. Ann M. Martin bases her books on personal experiences and contemporary problems or events. The story is a heart-warming tale that is sure pull on the heart strings of all young readers!

Part 1
Squirrel is a stray puppy who lives in a shed behind the summer home of a wealthy family, the Merrions. She lives with her mother, Stream and brother, Bone. Squirrel and Bone were the only two puppies to survive out of a litter of five. While living in the shed, Stream teaches her puppy how to hunt and find food, as well as to avoid being seen by humans. When Stream disappears suddenly, Squirrel and Bone set out on their own. Bone is very adventurous and Squirrel follows him through the woods and from town to town in search of food and shelter. The puppies are eventually picked up by highway travellers named Marcy and George who consider adopting them. They take them home for the night before George decides not to keep the dogs and throws them out of a car window in a mall parking lot. Squirrel and Bone are injured and Bone is taken away by other shoppers immediately after being tossed from the car, leaving Squirrel alone. Squirrel and Bone never see each other again.

Part 2
Alone and hungry, Squirrel meets another female stray named Moon by the road. The two dogs become fast friends, spending their nights snuggled up together for warmth and searching for food and garbage cans during the day. Squirrel and Moon move from town to town together for many changes of the seasons, they stay in each town for only a couple of days before moving on. They overcome a fight with a dog pack in a park, which leaves them both injured. The dogs go through difficult times of starvation and come across many different humans, both good and bad. The pair are struck by a car while crossing a road, killing Moon and injuring Squirrel.

Part 3
Squirrel and Moon are taken to the vet by the family who hit her. She is spayed and her broken leg is treated. She is renamed Daisy and adopted by the same family for the summer. Squirrel lives in the garage and plays with the kids every day for the summer. In the autumn, the family leaves their summer home and Squirrel is once more abandoned. She continues to wander for years until she finds herself back at the mall parking lot where Bone was taken away. Squirrel follows a scent that reminds her of Bone through the woods. She does not find Bone, and continues to wander from place to place while her fur starts to turn white and she becomes an old dog.

Part 4
Squirrel, now an old dog, takes cover from the weather in a shed that she finds. The shed is located in the back yard of an old woman named Susan. Susan sees Squirrel and tries to gain her trust by leaving food out and feeding her on her porch before she tries to coax her in when the weather turns cold. Susan had a dog named Maxie in the past. When she finally gets Squirrel inside, she decides to keep her and renames Squirrel "Addie" and the two become companions. Susan and Squirrel, both old ladies, spend their days running errands in town, cuddling up on the couch and eventually sleeping together at night. The two enjoy the rest of their lives together.

Character List
In order of appearance

Squirrel (Daisy/Addie)
The book is in Squirrel's point of view. She is a female stray puppy who is one of two surviving puppies in a litter of five. Squirrel enjoyed hunting, a skill which she learned from her mother. After her mother goes missing, Squirrel moves from place to place following her brother Bone, and then later with her new friend Moon, before she ventures around by herself in her old age, longing for a companion.

Bone
The brother of Squirrel. He is a male stray puppy who is one of two surviving puppies in a litter of five. After his mother disappears, Bone leads Squirrel from place to place, always in search of a new adventure. Bone and Squirrel played and hunted often. Bone also liked to go to the garbage heap.

Stream
Mother of Squirrel and Bone. She cares for her puppies in a wheel burrow in an old shed until they are strong enough to adventure themselves. She teaches them to be aware of humans and how to hunt. She leaves the shed one morning and does not return, leaving the puppies to fend for themselves.

Mine
A fox who lived underneath the Merrion's new garden shed and had four kits. The fox was the enemy of the animals living on the farm because it was dangerous to their young. Mine gets shot by the Merrions.

Matthias Merrion
The youngest son of the family who owned the shed that Stream, Bone and Squirrel lived in. Matthias discovered Squirrel and Bone. He kept the dogs a secret from his family. Matthias brought the dogs scraps of food and toys to play with. Matthias was the dog's first interaction with humans.

Yellow Man
A cat who lived in the shed with the dogs. The cats lived in nesting boxes in the opposite corner of the shed than the dogs. Yellow man greeted the dogs every morning, and was curious of them. Squirrel missed Yellow Man when he got home sick.

Marcy
The wife of George. Finds Squirrel and Bone on the side of the highway and takes them home. Marcy wants to keep the dogs, and George doesn't allow her to. She feeds them and cleans up their messes, hoping that they will become tame pets.

George
The husband of Marcy. Finds Squirrel and Bone on the side of the highway and takes them home. George doesn't think that the dogs are worth the trouble. When Marcy leaves for work, George throws them out the car window at the mall and injures them both.

Moon
A female stray that Squirrel makes friends with after Bone disappears. Moon was a small dog, who resembled Bone. Moon and Squirrel took turns caring for each other when they were hurt. Moon was brave, adventurous and loved garbage. Moon and Squirrel travel together from town to town for years, sneaking garbage at night and fighting other dogs when necessary. She is killed by the Becker's car when crossing the road.

Dr. Roth
A Veterinarian who looks after Moon and Squirrel when they are brought into the vet by the family who ran over Mooon. Squirrel remembers Dr. Roth as having gentle hands. Dr. Roth donates her time to fix Squirrel's broken leg, spay her and give her shots. She also gives her a clean bill of health before she is taken in by her new family.

Rachael
An employee at the Vet Clinic that Moon and Squirrel are brought to. Rachael helped nurse Squirrel back to health by taking her for walks and caring for her. She was very sad to see Squirrel leave with the Becker Family.

Becker Family
The Becker Family consists of Margery, Donald and their parents. The family who ran over Moon and Squirrel on the road. They brought both dogs into the vet where Moon was pronounced dead and Squirrel was treated for her injuries. The Beckers came and checked on Squirrel often while at the vet and ended up adopting her when her leg had healed. They provided Squirrel with a warm bed in their garage for the summer before the left without saying good bye, leaving Squirrel on her own, once again.

Susan McGrath
An independent, old lady who owns the shed that Squirrel finds to sleep in. Susan is kind-hearted and puts food out for Squirrel 3 times a day on her porch until the weather turns cold, in which she invites Squirrel in to her home to warm up. Susan adopts Squirrel, gets her checked by the vet and they become close companions. Susan and Squirrel do everything together from then on, and live happily together in Susan's home until the end of the book.

About the Author
Ann M. Martin is a children's author from Princeton, New Jersey. All of the characters in her books are fictional, although some are based on real people. Martin has written many popular children's titles including The Baby-sitters Club series and the California Diaries series. Her book A Corner of the Universe, received a Newberry Honor Award.

Reception
A Kirkus Reviews review says, "Heart-wrenching as well as heart-warming". A Publishers Weekly review says, "Though Martin is sometimes inconsistent about what Squirrel does and does not know, listeners will be too hooked on the emotional notes and occasional dramatic moments here to mind". This book also was a winner in the YRCA(Young Readers Choice Awards).