By Piers Torday (author) , Alice McKinley (illustrator)
"Letters to a dog that go straight to the heart"
Paperback In Stock £7.99 £7.19
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Interest Age 9+ Reading Age 8
Piers Torday’s first book for Barrington Stoke manages to be funny, tender, heartbreaking and hopeful all in less than 80 pages.
Jamie is in hospital waiting for the operation he needs on his heart. A difficult enough situation for any young boy, but he’s also fallen out with his dad, who is struggling to communicate with him following the death of Jamie’s mum. At his nurse’s suggestion, Jamie writes a letter to the little brown-and-white terrier he saw in the dog’s home, and longs to take home.
At first he’s embarrassed – what would his friends think – but it turns out to be easy to pour your heart out to a dog. When Dog writes back, their letters fill with all the things Jamie wants to tell his dad but can’t, and maybe Dog is speaking for Dad too …
Perfectly pitched to be enjoyed by readers of all abilities, this short novel is full of insight into loss, love and recovery, not to mention the magic dogs can work.
Letters from a longed-for pet provide comfort and entertainment for a lonely boy in a heartfelt and gently humorous tale from bestselling author Piers Torday.
Read the full description
Jamie is in hospital waiting for a life-changing operation. And to make a difficult time even harder, he's fallen out with his dad and refuses to speak to him when he comes to visit.
To keep his spirits up, nurse Shirley suggests he writes a letter to the dog he desperately wants to adopt from the local dog home. But imagine his surprise when Dog writes back!
Particularly suitable for readers aged 9+ with a reading age of 8.
'A doggy delight: adorable, heart-warming and very funny indeed.' - Abi Elphinstone
'A paw-fect blend of furry, heartfelt magic!' - Ross Welford
'A touching story brimming with humour and heart.' - Lisa Thompson
'A gorgeous story about the bravery of one young boy and the power of one mighty dog. Filled with humour and heart, this is a perfect tale (tail?) about how the smallest things can mean the most. And how you should never play monopoly with a hamster.' - Katya Balen
Piers Torday began his career in theatre and then television as a producer and writer. His bestselling first book for children, The Last Wild , was shortlisted for the Waterstones Children's Book Award and nominated for the CILIP Carnegie Medal as well as numerous other awards. His second book, The Dark Wild , won the Guardian Children's Fiction Prize. The third book in the trilogy, The Wild Beyond , was published in 2015 to critical acclaim. His next book for children, There May Be a Castle , was published in October 2016.
In regular demand as a speaker at schools and festivals, Piers is also a reading helper with Beanstalk, a former judge on the Guardian Children's Fiction Prize, a Patron of Reading at Heathmere School and a trustee of the Pleasance Theatre.
Born in Northumberland, Piers now lives in London with his husband and hopefully a cat.
Piers Torday writes...
I was born in Northumberland, which is possibly the one part of England where more animals live than people, and spent my early years crawling around on the floor of the popular children’s bookshop that my mother ran.
The first book I can remember reading is Peter Rabbit by Beatrix Potter. “Stop thief!”
I was a total bookworm and read everything I could lay my hands on, from Beatrix Potter to Babar, Moomintrolls to Hobbits. Some of my favourite books included Stig Of The Dump, The Land of Green Ginger and The Silver Sword.
I also loved comic books, especially all of Tintin and Asterix. So I tried to write one.
When I was 8, I won a cartoon competition in the local paper with my entry “Super Sid”, a comic strip about a superhero called Sid. Unfortunately his main super power was being called Sid, and so he didn’t last long.
My first proper story was written age 13, which starts – ‘Sam was a dog. And like most dogs, he was a detective.’
This should have led to a promising career in canine detective fiction but at school and university I became completely distracted by theatre & comedy, which is where I then started my working life - at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, producing plays and sketch shows, and occasionally writing them too.
I am very proud to still be a Trustee of the Pleasance Theatre, which gave me my first ever job, and every year gives hundreds of new writers, performers, producers and technicians their first break.
After that, I accidentally came up with a successful gameshow called Come and Have A Go If You Think You’re Smart Enough and moved into television. I still work in TV, developing programme ideas and occasionally being allowed to make them – including Argumental and DSF: Olivia Lee (Series 1 &2).
But deep down the thing I most wanted to do was write stories like the ones I grew up on, and after my Dad wrote his first book at the age of 60 - Salmon Fishing In The Yemen - I felt inspired. So I went on a marvellous Arvon Course at Ted Hughes’ old house in West Yorkshire. They were very encouraging – and I began to write a book.
That book eventually became The Last Wild, and I am currently writing the next installment in the story.
In between, I have just been trained as a Volunteer Reader by VRH and can’t wait to start helping children in my local London schools to enjoy books and stories like I did when I was younger.
A Guide for Readers with Dyslexia from Barrington Stoke
Piers Torday - LoveReading4Kids' Guest Editor of the Month
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A book that I am never going to forget!
Letters to a Dog is a very, very heartwarming book. It has two main characters, Jamie Monroe and the dog called Ella. I can’t even pick a best part because it was all so good! I would recommend this book for people who like stories that pull on the heartstrings! I read it as soon as I got it and I am going to read it again and again!... Read Full Review
Letters to a Dog is a grrrreat read!
I read Letters to a Dog and I think it was great! I recommend this book to anyone who likes books about animals. I liked how it was written in letters which made the characters feel more real.
The book was about a little boy in hospital as he is going to have an operation. The boy's name is Jamie. His dad won't let him get a dog from the dog shelter so Jamie decides to write letters to him.... Read Full Review
Lovely book, very touching and funny. Makes you laugh, makes you sad and makes you happy.
Me and my brother really enjoyed this book. It was upsetting knowing that Jamie lost his mummy and him and his daddy weren't talking but it made us happy when he started writing to the dog from the dog home. We thought it strange that a dog would be able to write letters but the dog does say who helped him write them but we won't spoil that for you.... Read Full Review
Letters from a longed-for pet provide comfort and entertainment for a lonely boy in a heartfelt and gently humorous tale from bestselling author Piers Torday. Jamie is in hospital waiting for a life-changing operation.
The LoveReading4Kids Editorial Team have read and reviewed Letters to a Dog and determined it is suitable for children aged 7-10 years old
Letters to a Dog features in the following genres: Featured Books for 7+ readers, Featured Books for 9+ readers, Books Reviewed by our Reader Review Panels, Recommendations, Stories about Family and Friends, Funny, Animal Stories, Personal Social Health Economic (PSHE), Dyslexia Friendly Books for Interest age 9+, Dyslexia Friendly Books for Interest age 11+, Children’s / Teenage category fiction, Children’s / Teenage emotions: Loneliness, isolation, Children’s / Teenage fiction: Friendship stories, Children’s / Teenage fiction: General, modern and contemporary fiction, Children's and Young Adult Fiction, Children’s, Teenage and Educational, Children’s / Teenage fiction: Special features and related items, Children’s / Teenage personal and social topics: Emotions, moods, feelings and behaviours, Romance / Relationship Stories
Paperback. £7.19, down from the £7.99 cover price. In Stock.
Letters to a Dog was written by Piers Torday and published by Barrington Stoke an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers
Letters to a Dog has 70 pages
£7.19, reduced from £7.99. In Stock.
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