Book review by Aarene Storms: A Boy and His Dog at the End of the World

A Boy and His Dog at the End of the World by C.A. Fletcher

 
Griz has grown up in a world that isn't like ours. Most people are dead -- and have been dead for 100 years, as a result of a plague called "the Gelding" which greatly reduced fertility in humans (and dogs, which is important).

Griz's family lives on a secluded island in the Hebrides, where they grow crops, tend sheep, and sometimes go a-viking to scavenge supplies from abandoned places.

One day a stranger comes to the island, and this stranger steals Griz's dog. And thus, the adventure begins: across a mostly-empty land, meeting up with a few other survivors, always striving towards the dog and a safe return home.

The story is told as a series of journal entries addressed to a boy in a photograph, chronicling the journey with plenty of foreshadowed doom. I refuse to reveal the ending, except to say that I *loved* this book, and you all know how I feel about stories where the dog dies. But bad things happen, just so you know.

No cussing. Some violence, bullying and betrayal. But also art, poetry, and music, which are not quite gone, even at the end of the world. The audiobook is well done also.

Recommended for ages 14 to adult.


Aarene Storms
Teen Services Librarian
King County Library System
Richmond Beach Library (206) 546-3522
Lake Forest Park Library (206) 362-8860
astorms@kcls.org