Review: The Last Dogs: The Vanishing by Christopher Holt

Title: The Last Dogs: The Vanishing

Author: Christopher Holt

Publisher:  Little, Brown Books for Young Readers

Release Dates: September 4, 2012
Pages: 384, Hardcover

Lexile Measure: 820

Age Range: 9-11

Goodreads Rating: 4.0 stars
My Rating: 4/5 stars

Summary from Goodreads: When all the humans in his world disappear, Max, a yellow Labrador Retriever, begins the search for his family. He knows that if he can just find Madame Curie, a wise, old black Lab, she'll be able to help. Madame had a premonition of astonishing events to come -- she might know where Max's family is.

But Max can't make the journey alone. Joined by friends Rocky and Gizmo, Max sets off to find Madame. Along the way, the trio must face a pack of angry wolves, forage for food in a land where kibble is akin to gold, befriend a house full of cats, and outsmart a gang of subway rats. Ultimately, they'll have to escape from the biggest threat of all: the Corporation, a "perfect" society for dogs and by dogs, where nothing is quite as it seems.

The Last Dogs: The Vanishing is a thrilling adventure and a tale of three unlikely friends on an epic quest to find their people -- and bring them home.

OUR TAKE

This was a great book to read with my daughter - highly recommended for any child who loves animals and/or adventure stories. The story tells of three dogs who are searching for their humans after all of the people suddenly and mysteriously disappear. The dogs have to fight hungry wolves and strange dictator-led dog societies that pop up in the absence of people to take care of them. It's not always particularly realistic (the dogs are smarter than your average canine), but it's great fun and highly suspenseful. My daughter can't wait until June to read the next one and to find out what happened to all the people!

4/5 stars