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 enlarge | Author: Cynthia Kadohata
Publisher: Atheneum
Category: Book
List Price: $16.99
Buy New: $13.07
You Save: $3.92 (23%)
New (5) Used (8) from $11.59
Avg. Customer Rating:  18 reviews
Sales Rank: 935467
Format: Bargain Price
Media: Hardcover
Reading Level: Young Adult
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 320
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.8
Dimensions (in): 8.4 x 5.6 x 1.2
ASIN: B0013A05XS
Publication Date: February 6, 2007
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Condition: Brand new book
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| Customer Reviews:
5th grade Teacher--I loved this book!! July 28, 2007
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
One of the best youth/YA books I have read this summer. Could not put it down even though I was floating down the Trinity river. Told from both the dog perspective and that of his handler/soldier. Kids 5th and up will enjoy it especially if they enjoy war books. This is also a great book on the Vietnam war experience.
Best Dog, Period. June 1, 2007
5 out of 6 found this review helpful
Cracker is an extremely intelligent German Shepherd. Reluctantly given to the army by a boy who could no longer keep her, Cracker ends up at Fort Benning, Georgia awaiting a handler. Feeling betrayed, Cracker is
in no mood to transfer her loyalties, which are mighty, to young Rick Hanski to whom she is assigned.Both are being trained to serve together in Viet Nam where Cracker is supposed to sniff out all the dangerous traps of the enemy. As Rick begins to win Cracker's respect, dog and man become a talented team. Rick, who is eager to serve in Viet Nam, is taken aback to learn that Cracker will never return from Viet Nam, no matter how bravely she serves. "The military considers the dogs equipment, and equipment is expendable."
Told in alternating voices, one of whom is Cracker's and one of whom is Rick's, the author has an uncanny ability to make the reader think and feel like a dog. As both characters struggle with a dangerous, chaotic
environment, this well-researched story , which pulls no punches about the horrors of war, is a smashing page-turner. There can be no happy ending for the valiant Cracker -- according to the rules of the U.S. Army.
I applaud the spirits of both dogs and the skill with which the authors have depicted them. June 1, 2007
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
War dogs used in Vietnam were unsung heroes. Faced with intense training combined with dreadful working conditions and constant danger, they had few rewards and were often left behind to survive on their own. This incredible book, although fictional, is based on real accounts provided through interviews of Vietnam War dog handlers.
Cracker, an amazingly intelligent German Shepherd, knows more than 90 words and lives the life of royalty that she deserves. It is her birthright. She has lived with (and slept with) Willie since she was about six months old, but before she is two, her life changes traumatically. Willie's father has been laid off, and the family needs to move to an apartment --- one that doesn't allow dogs. There are few options, and, according to the shelter, Cracker probably will be put down. Unable to locate a new family or home, they come across an advertisement from the military: Uncle Sam is looking for a few good dogs. Cracker is to enlist and join the army.
Cracker mourns for Willie, certain that his young master will rescue her as she is shipped to unfriendly locations, kenneled with lots of other dogs and then given to some strange man. Cracker is paired up with Rick Hanski --- who volunteered for duty in Vietnam at the young age of 17 --- to train for locating bombs, traps and the enemy. The lives of Cracker and Rick, along with those of thousands of soldiers, will depend on the success of their training and how well they are able to work together.
Author Cynthia Kadohata carefully crafts her narrative with two alternating voices --- Rick's and Cracker's --- as she describes their bond, fears, concerns and conditions. Rick is warned that he is never to take his eyes off his dog in the field, and Cracker must learn to separate a variety of alien smells in order to determine real threats. They do not work in complete isolation; instead, they develop close relationships with several other handlers and their dogs. But it is the unique bond shared between Rick and Cracker that rises above all else. Their attachment forms from complete respect, admiration, love and trust in each other.
Cracker earns the respect of all who meet her, as she truly becomes a hero and "The Best Dog in Vietnam." Due to the subject matter, CRACKER! is an incredibly intense and emotionally challenging book. Those who share a close relationship with a dog or two will struggle at times, but will admire and applaud the spirit and intelligence of this amazing animal. I live with two gifted and affectionate Labradors (also used as war dogs) and found myself snuggling a little more closely with them while reading. My apologies to Kadohata, but shortly after beginning the book, I absolutely had to flip to the last page before resuming the story.
In December 2005 I read John Grogan's MARLEY & ME, never putting it down once started. And in February 2007 the same thing happened with CRACKER! I applaud the spirits of both dogs and the skill with which the authors have depicted them.
--- Reviewed by Patsy Side
A review from Deanne Apke, Most intriguing storyline May 25, 2007
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
Magnificent Dawn of Venus, being the daughter of Felix Olympus von Braun, the great show dog, was expected to do great things. A badly broken leg that scars her for life ruins any chance of becoming a great show dog. Venus is then given to Willie. Now named Cracker, Venus's new family has to live in an apartment, but there is a strict "No pet policy". Willie's family then tries to find a new home for Cracker, but the only two places they can find are the army and the kennel. Willie would hate for his best friend to go to the kennel, so Cracker is then given to the army for the Vietnam War. Rick Hanski, 17, is just a normal guy in a normal town in a normal state who has decided to "whip the world" and he is going to do this by volunteering to be a dog handler in the Vietnam War. Rick and Cracker are then paired up for the war. They don't really trust each other and so are off to a bad start in training. After a game and a few wieners they start to trust each other and are soon at the top of the class. But when they get to Vietnam they realize that this is getting all too tough all too fast. This is war and there will be no playing around or misreading your dog's signal, for that could mean your life and thousands of others.
This book is one of my favorite books! I absolutely loved the book! I would put aside my bedtime just to read this book. It helped me understand what people and dogs would go through in the wars.
Great book! May 16, 2007
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
I listened to the audio version of this book and really enjoyed it.
At the very beginning of the book when Cracker was still with Willie I almost stopped listening thinking it was too much of a kids book, but it didn't last long. About the time Cracker begins her military service I was deeply drawn into the book. I listened to the book on my commute to and from work and I found it difficult to leave the car when I arrived.
The book really gives you a feel of what it was like to be a dog handler in Vietnam. It really makes you empathize with the soldiers, the dog handlers and even Cracker.
I highly recommend this book for kids (I'm trying to think about which of my nieces and nephews won't be insulted that it's rated for younger kids) I also think it's a great book for adults who are interested in dogs as well as Vietnam.
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