THE MOUNTAIN RESCUE DOG: SCARCELY ABLE TO PUT THIS BOOK DOWN

Thank you so much to Jacqui Sydney for reading and reviewing The Mountain Rescue Dog. If you’d like to read loads more brilliant reviews by Jacqui you can find them at Mrs Sydney’s Famous World’s Smallest Library. Come on, people! How cool is that? https://worldssmallestlibrary.wordpress.com/2022/10/16/the-mountain-rescue-dog-by-juliette-forrest/

Here’s what she said about The Mountain Rescue Dog.

It seems that in a very short time I have gone from exclusively reading middle grade titles to a much wider range of texts – from picture books to young adult fiction and having read several short chapter books intended for my class I felt very much in need of something a bit more substantial. Having been lucky enough to win a copy of this recently published title on Twitter and hearing from those who had read it what a delight it was, I picked it up and read it over the course of a couple of evenings, scarcely able to put it down.

Heart-warming, tense in places and ultimately joyful, this is a fabulous story which will go down a storm in upper KS2, particularly with those readers who have loved I, Cosmo and My Life as a Cat by Carlie Sorosiak. Telling the story of Clova, whose mother has been tragically killed during a search-and-rescue mission, and her relationship with an abandoned dog, this is a book which I defy even the hardest of hearts not to melt reading it – one which will stay with me for a long time and which I know has had a similar effect on others.

It is as school breaks up for the summer holiday that we meet Clova, not rushing out of the door at the prospect of six weeks of freedom like her classmates but taking her time to collect her things together before returning to the home she shares with her father and grandfather. Walking back in the pouring rain, Clova reflects on how the loss of her mother has impacted on her relationships with others who no longer know what to say to her before a Land Rover owned by family friend Isla pulls alongside her to offer her a lift. Part of the local search-and-rescue team, Isla and her dog Rannoch are on their way to the hotel where Clova’s family live having been called out to look for a guest feared missing on the neighbouring mountain.

The following morning, following the successful rescue, Clova is sent to a nearby farm to collect supplies for the guests’ breakfasts and is surprised when she arrives to find a miserable-looking collie chained up in the yard who soon disappears into a barn without so much as a bark or friendly wag of its tail. Trying to make friends with the dog, Clova is interrupted by farmer Mrs Cairncross who explains that the dog is a stray and has been restrained to prevent it running away and worrying the sheep on the neighbouring farm but invites Clova back to help accustom it to human company, thrilling the girl enormously.

Unfortunately for Clova, her happiness at the invite is short-lived when she gets home and accidentally breaks some of the eggs she has been carrying, earning a sharp telling-off from her father. The following day, after completing chores, Clova liberates some chicken from the fridge and sets off to try to befriend the stray, who she names Tatty on account of his scruffy appearance. As the holiday progresses, Clova and Tatty start to bond and convinced he would make a great rescue dog Clova starts to train him, not sharing her secret with her father who is no dog lover. When Tatty proves her right after he helps her rescue two young brothers, Dad learns of the secret and determines to send Tatty away – breaking Clova’s heart. Will girl and dog be reunited? And how can Clova show her father that she and Tatty are destined to be together?

Grief affects us all differently and for Clova the growing distance between her and her father makes her feel as though she has lost both of her parents. He blames the mountain where his much-loved wife died for her death and determines to wrap Clova up in cotton wool to prevent the same fate happening to her. She, on the other hand, associates being out on the moors and the mountain with the fantastic times she and her mother shared and is equally as determined to join the search-and-rescue team once she is old enough. Having lost her best friend, who no longer knows how to speak to her, Clova is reliant on the support of her grandfather but is in huge need of a friend and when she meets Tatty, she starts to forge a relationship that provides the support and love of which she is so desperately in need.

I am sure that there will be a great many teachers in Years 5 and 6 who make great use of this book as a class read – not just to promote some great PSHE work around bereavement and supporting those who have lost someone but because this is a really great story. Beautifully written, and with plenty of cliffhangers to hook in its audience, this would be perfect for those in Year 5 upwards, with some more confident readers Year 4s being able to enjoy it too.

Thank you so much, Jacqui! I’m so happy you enjoyed it!