Common Sense Media Review
By Mary Eisenhart
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Rafe's dog tells bouncy tale in Middle School spin-off.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 6+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Read
What's the Story?
In DOG DIARIES, the life of bouncy Junior the dog takes sudden turn for the better when he's sprung from the dank shelter and adopted by the Khatchadorian (or, as Junior hears it, Catch-a-Doggy-Bone) family of Middle School fame. His new "pet," Ruff (better known to Middle School series readers as Rafe), is the best thing that ever happened to a dog. And things only get better when they get to the dog park, where Junior reunites with all his shelter buds who were adopted before him. But just when things couldn't be more perfect, Junior's misguided obsession with raccoons leads to trouble, and a uniformed dog-trainer lady (who just happens to be the niece of Rafe's arch-enemy the principal) threatens to have him seized and sent back to the pound. Now what?
Is It Any Good?
Younger readers meet the Middle School world in this new series, narrated by the excitable, trouble-prone dog of Rafe Khatchadorian, aka Ruff Catch-a-Doggy Bone. Dog Diaries has bathroom humor aplenty and silliness galore as Junior shares his joy with a world that doesn't always appreciate it. Junior has many struggles as poor Rafe tries to keep him out of trouble. But as the series gets under way, it's clear the two of them are meant for each other:
"Before I knew it, Ruff was down on the ground and I was planting as many slobbery licks on his cheek as I could. He smelled like junk food and broken rules, and his face tasted like mischief. I loved all of it."
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about teh dog narrator of Dog Diaries. Why do you think an author might decide to tell a story this way? Can you think of other stories told by dogs or other animals?
Junior has silly-sounding names for many things in his world -- but they make perfect sense from a dog's point of view. What might a dog call some of the people, things, and places in your life?
Have you ever done something you thought was a really good idea (like Junior chasing raccoons) and had it not turn out so well? What did you do? What happened?
Book Details
- Authors :
- Illustrator : Richard Watson
- Genre : Animals
- Topics : Family Stories ( Siblings ) , Animals , Friendship
- Book type : Fiction
- Publisher : jimmy patterson
- Publication date : December 3, 2018
- Publisher's recommended age(s) : 7 - 12
- Number of pages : 208
- Available on : Nook, Audiobook (unabridged), Hardback, Apple Books, Kindle
- Last updated : September 30, 2025
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