From School Library Journal
Grade 5-9 Fourteen-year-old Jack lives in Brampton, Canada, with his overprotective mom who is being weird about his friendship with Al, a former lawman. And she refuses to even consider letting him keep the stray dog he brings home. But things change quickly when the teen follows the dog through some bushes and emerges in a backyard in Juneau, AK, in 1935. Patsy Ann, a bull terrier, is the key. She's deaf, but seems almost telepathic. Why has she brought Jack here? A daring robbery of a floatplane takes place at sea and all the evidence implicates antiwhaling biologist Stanley Bayne. The federal marshal who brings the charges is a young Al. Jack is about the only person who thinks Bayne may be right about the need to stop whaling and is innocent of the crime. There are some loose ends, and the climactic chase scene is implausible. But so is time travel, right? This fun story infused with humor integrates a bit of history, a dash of moral suasion, and a dose of good old-fashioned pluck to counter the bleaker aspects of Jack's life. This title easily stands alone, but those who missed
DogStar (Orca, 1998) will want to read it and will eagerly anticipate the third title in the series.
Joel Shoemaker, Southeast Junior High School, Iowa City, IA Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Booklist, on Dogstar
"A time travel adventure story with emotional appeal for dog lovers."
