Books like Voyage of the Dogs — picked by fans

This book leans a bit more toward the literary fiction category than do most books I read these days, but it’s among my top five because of two elements it develops, and poignantly so: 1) the constant threat of death for not only the narrator but also others he knows, and 2) a love story.

And the love story, much as it got to me emotionally, never once struck me as sappy. Instead, it was very realistic. Very human. Very no-b.s. As a result, altogether, this novel offers terrific storytelling.

It’s a dystopian YA novel where the Australian landscape is beautifully rendered in all its glory and danger. It’s also a tightly written and intense page turner, when even quiet moments are infused with a sense of menace.

It has echoes of Cormac McCarthy’s The Road, although this book is unmistakably Australian - right down to speculation around where our nation’s attitude to asylum seeks may lead us. It’s not as bleak as The Road (a book I admire), but Mark reminds us how easily our veneer of society could slip away in the wake of a catastrophic, world-changing event.

I did worry for Finn’s dog as much as for Finn himself. (I’m still scarred by The Knife of Never Letting Go. This has parallels to that nail-biting novel, too.)

A generation or so after The Calamitous Event (TCE), our hero’s dog is stolen by an unexpected visitor to their remote home in the Outer Hebrides. This book is my definition of a cracking good read. It has adventure, surprises, and insights into the human condition that led to TCE in the first place. Above all, it features a boy and his overwhelming mission - to get his dog back. If, like me, you love dogs you are going to love this book.

Worldshifter is a fabulous science fiction story full of wonderful characters. You will laugh out loud at times, and your heart will race as the action careers across the galaxy.

On a very degraded and hostile planet, the lowest remnants of humanity slave away for the powerful alien races. I loved every page of this adventure with sweet, simple, giant-hearted Klom who hasn’t got a nasty bone in his oversized body. His compassion for the strange, doglike alien – who he calls Tugger -- contrasts brilliantly with the harshness of the world where Klom lives. Klom and his companions chase across planets and star systems to rescue Tugger, and on the way, they find the answer to life's greatest mystery.
Long live Tugger, who’s not strictly a dog (because he’s an alien), but certainly embodies all that canine perfection of character. I do hope there are more stories from this… show more.

Epic sci-fi with a cast of Earth-protecting animals.

Star Beasts is told through the POV of Bandit, the newest captain on the team, so we get to learn the ropes along with him (perfect way to tell a story, eh?). It’s as rad as it is cute. Alien animals!

Ancient relic collecting! Stinky lemurs! And if you’re anything like me, you will absolutely geek out when you see the Novataur.

I first read this book in self-pubbed form when I met the creators at WonderCon a few years ago. Nicest people on earth, coolest vision for their work, hilarious merch.

Also, Allyson is a fellow gardener, which is maybe not important to mention here, but it makes me happy.

This picture book is pure eye candy. I want to frame and hang every page on my wall.

The dog characters are perfectly dopey, and Aiko’s over-the-top expressions throughout the book made me laugh. The story reminds me of something straight out of a kid’s wild imagination.

The book has a mysterious air about it as the plot builds to become more ridiculous with every page turn.

Though easy to mock for their repetitive plots and outdated societal attitudes, children of all ages devoured Enid Blyton’s mystery stories ravenously, and I was no exception. Blyton was an absurdly prolific writer, and it’s tough to pick a favourite from her expansive catalogue, but if you twisted my arm, I’d have to go with 1945’s The Mystery of the Secret Room. I still remember my excitement as I followed the five intrepid “find-outers” (and dog!) on their quest to uncover the mystery behind a fully furnished room in a supposedly abandoned house, all the while outsmarting the dim-witted local policeman, Mr. Goon. An unusual choice, perhaps, but this book, and indeed Blyton’s entire oeuvre, were a formative influence on me and sparked a lifelong love of amateur detectives.

Jack London is by far my favorite writer of youth-accessible literature, and White Fang is one of his best. My senses came alive as I read about a wolf’s struggle to survive and adapt to changes in its environment. Reading his description of a world through the experience of an animal was transformative. The Klondike became a real and deadly place, vibrant and alive.

I loved how different the three main characters are. They’re unlike anyone I’ve met in real life, all at different ages and situations, but I could relate to them immediately. My heart broke for grumpy, widowed George, pushing everyone away, and Lizzie, coming out of an abusive relationship and wondering if she dares to feel love again.

This book filled me with hope. It gave me the courage to think about some of the more painful relationships I’ve been in and consider how far I’ve come. I was also seduced by the beauty of the writing; I kept wanting to go back and reread paragraphs because the descriptions were so perfect. And it made me laugh!

Most of you know Sara from America’s Got Talent? Originally from Canada, Sara and her dogs are peripatetic performers; she, living her childhood her dream, and her pups realizing theirs, all living in her car, traveling the States, and performing for enthusiastic crowds. I first met Sara when she was conducting an on-stage workshop at the APDT Annual Conference: Backward Leg Weaves, balancing on the souls of her feet, and even a Faux Pee. It was stunning. 

Sara just loves trick training and dancing with her dogs because it fosters better communication, closeness, and attention. Her dogs get the opportunity to regularly ‘let off steam’ and wag with glee, but then they walk off stage, calmly by her side, because they want to walk by her side—the veritable tango of dog training. There’s more to ‘rhythm and tricks’ than meets the eye, much more: flexibility, balance, core-strengthening,… show more.