ISBN: 9781407124247
Hal really wants a dog. He’s wanted a dog for as long as he can remember. But the answer was always the same: “No!” His mother will certainly not allow the mess a dog brings into her spotlessly fashionable house!
Being a very wealthy family, Hal’s mom made sure their house had everything that was the latest fashion: golden taps, power showers, sauna, coffee makers, juice extractors, marble tiles from Italy, you name it! And when she got tired of something (which didn’t take very long), or if there was a new fad, the old simply got replaced – and that included the nanny!
Hal’s dad was always away on business trips, and with his mom regularly out on a shopping spree or having tea with her friends, Hal was left lonesome in their lifeless home. Living things meant mess and that’s why it wasn’t allowed: no friends, no animals, no plants. But Hal really wanted a dog that would be his companion, and begged her for one, and hoped up to the last second that his wish would come true.
When Hal’s mom’ ideas for his 10th birthday backfire horribly, his parents decide to get Hal a dog from the Easy Pets Dog Agency, an institution that rents out fashionable pure-bred dogs for as long as you pay. Hal meets the dog of his dreams, only to find out Fleck was not his to keep. Hal is obviously not happy at all with this arrangement, and, feeling tricked, decides to do something about it. Everything goes according to plan when Hal takes matters into his own hands to be reunited with Fleck, that is until Pippa shows up! She joins Hal on his journey to his grandparents’, which they make on foot – filling their days with lots of adventures – joining a circus act, shepherding a farmer’s sheep, getting kidnapped by an illegal dumper, and chased down by tracker dogs – and on the way find perfect homes for the escapee dogs that followed Hal to the train station.
It is a humorous story for dog-lovers that proves that “A dog who belongs to somebody forever is a dog who is free”, BUT a dog chooses its owner. It is also a story that brings out how the love of money can motivate, change, influence or rule a person’s life.
As is Eva Ibbotson’s style, it gives the reader food for thought with regards to what is important in life. “The Fentons found it hard to believe that money wasn’t the answer to everything”, but when their son goes missing they start realizing money can’t buy lasting happiness, and that enlightenment causes a change of heart.
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