Friday Book Review – War Dog by Chris Ryan

Published by Emma Lee-Potter in on Friday 21st February 2014

Chris RyanI loved the story of the little girl who adores reading so much that she has whizzed through 364 books in just seven months.

Nine-year-old Faith Jackson, who lives in Ashley, Cheshire, shuns TV and computer games, preferring to curl up with a book by Roald Dahl or JK Rowling instead. Her reading has just earned her a certificate of achievement from How To Train Your Dragon author Cressida Cowell.

But not all children are such avid readers. If you’re keen for your child to read more then take a look at publisher Franklin Watts’s EDGE series.

There are a whole range of titles – all compelling stories for children who are either struggling readers or reluctant readers. Or both.

They include War Dog by SAS veteran Chris Ryan – a short story that’s just the ticket for young people with a reading age of eight to nine but an interest age of eight to 14.

I’m not exactly the target market but I loved it. War Dog is the touching tale of a bomb disposal officer and his loyal sniffer dog, Charlie. Told by army veteran Jamie, whose life was saved by the pair in Afghanistan, it’s a thought-provoking and very accessible story that captures the reader’s imagination and is easy to read.

“I wanted to show kids who don’t find reading easy that books can be as thrilling as a film or game and that reading a great story doesn’t need to be hard work,” says Chris Ryan.

“I also wanted War Dog to be a book that’s compelling and exciting for everyone, so I’ve explored an area of war that isn’t much written about. Animals have played a vital role in the military for centuries and we still rely on them today to save lives.”

War Dog by Chris Ryan (Franklin Watts, £5.99)


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