Description
Temporarily out of stock
Title: Vanishing, The: 1 The Last Dogs
Author: HOLT CHRISTOPHER
Format: PAPERBACK
Publication date: 14/05/2013
Imprint: LITTLE BROWN
Price: $20.00
Publishing status: Active
Awards:
Parents Choice Awards (Fall) (2008-Up) | Silver Medal Winner | Fiction | 2012 – 2012
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.
Kirkus Reviews (08/01/2012):
When the world goes to the dogs, one loyal canine tries to find his human family in this dystopian series starter. Max wakes up in a cage without food or water, plagued by nightmares of a spreading darkness. Clever though cowardly Rocky frees Max and reluctantly joins him on a hair-raising adventure, fleeing wolves, crazed communists and the \”Corporation\” and seeking their owners. Max, Rocky and Gizmo, a later addition to the team, soon fall into typical quest roles as the muscle, the brains and the heart, respectively. Their obstacles are also standard dystopian ones: finding food and transport, fighting off gangs and doggedly seeking remnants from their former lives. Where the humans went and why they abandoned their pets remain unanswered, so as to necessitate a sequel. The choice of a dog as a narrator distinguishes Holt’s debut from an increasingly crowded dystopian market but also introduces narrative weaknesses. Max and his companions comprehend electronics, improvise tools and begin rebuilding civilization, yet they also drink toilet water and enjoy a good chew toy. Resolving these incongruences may be easier for younger readers familiar with the Redwall and Warriors series, or the classic Homeward Bound. A post-apocalyptic Animal Farm for young readers. (Fantasy. 10-14) COPYRIGHT(2012) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
Booklist (10/01/2012):
Grades 5-8 Each year, golden Labrador Max stays at the vet’s kennel while his family is away. But one day neither the vet nor Max’s family show up to the kennel, and his poodle pal Madame is missing, too. Eventually, Max escapes his cage, only to be attacked by a vicious wolfbut, thankfully, dachshund Rocky, also left behind, saves him. Together the pair set out to find their people, Madame, and answers. Survival means navigating devastated, disconcertingly humanless landscapes to find food and shelter while eluding dangers from wolf packs and subway rats. Their journey leads them to the Corporation, an oppressive dogs-only organization led by the power-mongering Doberman the Chairman, and to escape they must enact a risky plan and recruit other imprisoned dogs. With suspense, action-adventure, and some droll touchesas well as the occasional intense confrontation and some sorrowful, poignant momentsthis dystopian, dog-centric series opener offers a fast-paced read, evoking elements of Animal Farm. Vividly detailed modern-day settings and diverse animal charactersif somewhat breed typedwill engage readers, and plenty of mysteries are left unsolved for the sequel.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2012, American Library Association.)
Voice of Youth Advocates (10/01/2012):
Max, a Labrador, and Rocky, a Dachshund, meet at the vet, where they are startled to find that all of the humans have disappeared. Max leads them to his home, hoping to find his family still safely there. When he finds his home empty, he suggests they look for Madame Curie, another dog Max knows from the vets office, who seemed to know something was about to happen. As they search for Madame and the humans, they encounter fierce wolves; a hungry group of dogs called the Enclave; a house full of cats; a swarm of rats in the subway; and an organized luxury society of dogs called the Corporation. They pick up a third friend, Gizmo, who is eager for adventure and about the only non-threatening animal they encounter. They follow a lead, hoping it will help them find the humans, but the bookthe first in a seriesends with them still searching.
Where the humans have gone truly remains a mystery, with the reader knowing only as much as the dogs know. The action and suspense in this adventure story, which is occasionally violent and sad, keeps the pace moving quickly. The review copy had illustrations still forthcoming, but each chapter has a space or two blocked off for art. Fans of animal adventure stories and mysteries will enjoy this exciting look at the resiliency and ingenuity of dogs.Amanda MacGregor.3Q 3P M J
School Library Journal (05/01/2013):
Gr 4-7–Left alone at the vet’s, Max has had no food or water for two days. All of the other dogs and the people have disappeared. He begins to sink into despair when Rocky, a small dachshund, flies through the room and gives him brief instructions on how to escape the kennel. As the Labrador retriever wearily pinches the latch open using just his teeth, he takes his fill of water and explores his eerily empty environment. Approaching the front entrance, he sees a wolf trying to break in, searching for the small dog that saved him, and their food. Max and Rocky best the wolves, but are later forced to flee. Thus begins their adventure through villages, cities, forests, and waterways in search of their now-missing pack leaders and the missing people. Part Incredible Journey and part Life as We Knew It, this is an interesting blend of genres that allows accessibility to the traditional YA dystopian-future genre. The pacing of the story can be slow at times as it is told in episodic segments characterized by new settings and cultures of dogs. This approach would be appealing to those who may prefer to read in bursts rather than long periods at a time, but keeping track of so many characters and settings could also prove a challenge to some readers. The book is illustrated with a number of images that greatly enhance some chapters. Patient readers ready for thick books will find a lot to enjoy in this cliff-hanging first installment.–\”Devin Burritt, Wells Public Library, ME\” Copyright 2013 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.
Series: The Last Dogs
ISBN: 9780316200042
Weight: 318g
Dimension: 193mm X 130mm
Pages: 369