Lois Duncan

Liz and her brother wind up with nine stray dogs that need homes but must be kept a secret.

Hotel for Dogs

Chris Aldrich

Listened to this maybe 2 1/2 times over the past month in various sittings.

A charming story for dog lovers everywhere--and now a major motion picture!

Hotel For Dogs

Meredith Rose

Well it's completely different than the movie! A few things I enjoyed more, like Andi being a poet and trying to get her work published, but most of it I enjoyed less. 

I missed the strong bond of friendship I remember between Andi and Bruce as kids shuffling from home to home in the foster care system. Also the idea of needing to save a surplus of unwanted, abused, and stray pets seems to make a lot more sense in a city setting like the movie. It felt unlikely that there would be so many neglected dogs in need of a home in the suburban neighborhood setting of the book. 

Some other things in the book felt contrived as well - like an Aunt with dire pet allergies and a conveniently abandoned house in an otherwise thriving neighborhood. I was also kinda weirded out by some subtly sexist and racist dialogue, until I realized this story was originally published in the early 70s and I'm pretty sure is meant to take place in the 50s or 60s.

Otherwise, it is a cute story. And I tried not to rate it too harshly given that had I never seen the movie I probably wouldn't have as much criticism. I'd say it's still worth a quick read.

Hotel for Dogs

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