Jennifer Li Shotz

Do you like books with dogs and action? Then you might like the book, Max, by Jennifer Li Shotz, because the book is centered around a heroic dog and an action-filled adventure that goes on throughout the novel.
The book takes place in a town in Texas with the main character Justin who would receive his brother's dog after his brother Kyle was killed in action. Through the next few chapters, Justin would have to learn how to take care of Max and become his new owner, with the help of his friends Chuy and Carmen. Max would start to ease into civilian life until Tyler showed up. Tyler was Kyles's best friend and had served with him. But when he showed up, Max tried to attack him and this would lead to Justin trying to find out why Max hated Tyler. Justin and Max would follow Tyler into the woods to find him with members of a Mexican cartel with Tyler selling them weapons. From here out Justin's new mission was to stop the deal from going through. But well spying on Tyler the first time they were spotted and Tyler realized it was him and would lead to the kidnapping of Justin’s dad. With the kidnapping happening, Justin would go back to where he saw the deal happen the first time and would stop it completely, making life go back to normal afterward.
The theme of Max is not to judge someone from only one interaction because Justin's family thinks Max is a crazy dog and trusts everything Tyler says. Since the family had known Tyler for longer than they did with Max they went with his idea of putting him down, so they sent him to the pound. Even though Max was helping Justin get away from two vicious dogs that were the sheriffs. They also believe him more because Max was always howling and tried to attack Tyler when he had first visited them, but they would later realize that Tyler was the bad guy and that Max was trying to stop anything bad from happening.
I found this book to be enjoyable because of the amount of action that was throughout the book. I also enjoyed the amount of action that was at the end of the book, with Justin stopping Tyler from going through with the deal. One thing I didn’t like about the book was how slow the build-up to taking Tyler down was, but other than that I found the book enjoyable
I recommend this novel because it has a really good storyline that I found enjoyable and has a great ending, but it takes a long time until much of the action takes place, so this book would suit someone who likes a slow pace book with a great ending to it.… (mer)

Twelve year old Dylan finds Brave, a dog without a home. He can’t just leave him starving and alone, but will he be able to keep him when the first thing he does is destroys his mother’s new sofa? Dylan comes to find out that he needs Brave just as much as Brave needs him.
Brave is the first title in the American Dogs series. This book is recommended for readers who love dog stories and especially stories about the “under dog” coming out on top. It is recommended for readers in grades 3-6. The author creates strong characters that draw the reader in.… (mer)

With a hurricane bearing down on their local town, Jack decides it's a good time to go visit his father. Not his brightest idea, but he swears Ben to secrecy. When Ben cannot reach Jack and realizes he has taken his dog Scout too, Ben pretends he is heading home where he grabs Hero to track Ben and Scout in the woods. His other bestie, Noah, comes along too. They face several natural and nature-related disasters along the way, and cannot call for help in the remote forest area, even when they come across an urgent need to do so. Hero remains hero, and more accolades are earned by Ben and Hero. Not really written for adults.… (mer)