Published on 03/28/2010

How would you feel if you just lost a big part of your life, "someone" very special to you? Meet Aleta. She has two best friends, Cassie and Nina, and she wants to be a vet. Aleta knows that animals don't live forever, but when her dog Kate dies, she can't believe it. It just feels so unfair and she doesn't want to talk about it! She wants to be alone, and she's really sad and a little angry, too. "Kate, the Ghost Dog" by Wayne L. Wilson shows how Aleta learns to deal with her feelings and comes to be able to remember Kate with happiness.

Kate, the Ghost Dog: Coping With the Death of a Pet by Wayne L. Wilson: Book Review

Magination Press (2009)
ISBN 9781433805547
Reviewed by Sophia (age 7) and Madeline (age 8.5) McElroy for Reader Views (02/10)

Madeline:

This is a story about a girl named Aleta. Aleta has a dog named Kate. When Aleta returns home from school with her friends she wants to take Kate for a walk. When Aleta walks into her room Kate isn’t moving. Aleta cries “Here Kate!” “Here Kate!” “Time for a walk!” But Kate doesn’t move. Nina, one of Aleta's friends, says, “She's d-.” Then Aleta shuts her up. Aleta thinks that Kate is not dead, so she gets her Mom and Dad for help. Her parents realized she was dead, Aleta doesn’t believe them.

Aleta gets really sad and doesn’t eat or talk to anyone; she just stays in her room. Her family holds a memorial and tries to make her feel better. She still wouldn’t play with her friends and is sad. Her uncle has a long talk with her and she feels better. Her Mom helps her make a scrapbook for Kate.

I think if I lost a pet this book would help me because it shows the reader how to not be upset. It gives the reader lots of ideas of how to not be sad about losing something special in their life.

Sophia:

This is a sad story about a dog dying. Kate was Aleta’s best friend. One day after school she finds her dead in her room. She started crying and even cried at school. Her Mom asked her if she wanted a new dog, but Aleta wasn’t ready for a new dog yet. Her family tried to talk to her about it, but it didn’t help. She tried feeling better by pretending that Kate was a ghost dog. She would play with her.

My favorite character is Kate, because I like dogs. My favorite part of the story is when Kate comes back to “life” as a ghost dog. They had fun together. I liked the pictures too.

We both really liked “Kate, the Ghost Dog” by Wayne L. Wilson.