Everything for a Dog

Enchanting, Heartfelt, Surprising, Dynamic, Delicately Interlaced

Everything for a Dog by Ann M. Martin

Published by Feiwel and Friends Copyright 2009

"This is a sensitive, gentle read that surrounds its occasional heartbreak with plenty of hope and warm feelings." - Booklist 

Told from three different perspectives, Everything for a Dog written by Ann M. Martin, follows Bone, a homeless runaway dog who has recently been separated from his sister, Squirrel; Henry, a child who can only dream of having a dog; and Charlie, a boy whose family has experienced grief and great trauma after his older brother, RJ accidentally falls from a tree and dies. The only comfort Charlie finds is in his dog, Sunny, until yet another tragedy occurs. The story evolves as each narrator's path surprisingly crosses, showing that their own happiness depends on the connections they establish with each other. Through this moving tale, the narrators realize that they need each other and must rely on one another, despite their hardships and struggles along the way. Be sure to read the companion book A Dog's Life to find out what happened to Squirrel.

Reading Level: Lexile Framework 890L, Grade 5/6

Suggested Delivery: Small Group Read
Description: Fiction, Companionship

Electronic Resources:
Study Guide
This is a link to a PDF file.  It provides an overview of the author and discussion questions and activities to increase engagement with the text.


Meet Ann M. Martin
This is a link to a brief video clip that introduces readers to the author.  Ann M. Martin discusses her book, how she creates characters, her writing process, and the connections Everything for a Dog has to the companion book, A Dog's Life.



Key Vocabulary: Ajar, Dolefully, Exuberant, Haughtily, Meander, Mundane, Nuisance, Predator, Tantalizing, Ventilated

 Teaching Suggestions:

1. Use this text in reading and language arts to discuss how authors use perspective to tell the story.
2. Use this text in reading and language arts to explore simultaneous stories that join together in the end.  Another example of this is Holes by Louis Sachar (1998).
3. Use this text in social studies to discuss animal rights and abandoned animals.  

Comprehension Strategies
Pre-Reading- Provide students with an Anticipation Guide to prepare them for the themes in the text.

During Reading- Have students participate in Fishbowl Discussions to enhance their comprehension of the text.  The discussions are important because there are three different stories occurring at the same time and students may have difficulty understanding what is happening to each character and how their stories will eventually unite.  Some suggested discussion questions are as follows:

1. Which character do you feel the most empathy for? Why?
2. Which character's story do you enjoy reading about most? Why?
3. Do you think that it is fair that Henry's dad will not allow Henry to own a dog? 
4. Do you think Bone enjoys the freedom of living on his own or does he want a family?
5. Why might the author use different perspectives?
6. How do you think the characters stories will come together? Make a prediction.
7. Although Bone, Henry, and Charlie experience different stories, what goals and dreams do they share?

Post-Reading- Have students create a Voki, in which students write a monologue representing the thoughts and feelings of either Bone, Henry, or Charlie. 

Writing Activity: Have students pretend they are Bone.  Writing from his perspective in journal entries, have them describe what life is like as a dog.  What do they see, hear, smell, feel and so on?

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