Common Sense Media Review
By Darienne Stewart
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Half-man, half-dog, all-heart hero delights in silly sequel.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 7+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Read
Parent and Kid Reviews
Based on 6 parent reviews
Based on 14 kid reviews
Kids say this book is a funny sequel that entertains with its humor and positive messages, although opinions vary on its artwork and plot quality. While some readers praise it as a great continuation of the series, others criticize it as boring or poorly executed, reflecting a divide in enjoyment among its audience.
- humor
- positive messages
- mixed reviews
- artwork criticism
- sequel satisfaction
Summarized with AI
Summarized with AI
What's the Story?
DOG MAN UNLEASHED starts with the police department planning a birthday surprise for the chief. The officers decide to give him "Brain Dots" (to make him smarter) and a new pet. The half-dog, half-human Dog Man unknowingly returns from the pet shop with an evil fish. When the fish eats the Brain Dots, it unleashes a series of disastrous events. A new thief in town starts stealing tiny treasure chests. Petey the Cat thinks the thief is copying him, so he makes a fake "Flat Petey" so he can escape from jail to confront the impostor. Then Flat Petey takes a witch doctor's "living spray" and "obey spray" and gets into mischief of his own. It's up to Dog Man, of course, to save the day.
Is It Any Good?
The second book in Dav Pilkey's freewheeling series about a half-man, half-dog police officer remains true to form: It's ridiculous, pure fun for reluctant readers and comic book fans alike. The plot in Dog Man Unleashed is more sprawling than the one in the first book, which presented Dog Man's origin story and a few short stories.
The appeal of Dog Man lies in his undeniable canine tendencies: He's always distracted by a ball, he licks bones, and his coworkers rev him up for an assignment the way you'd talk to a dog about to go for a walk. Pilkey -- best known for his Captain Underpants series, a kid favorite often criticized by grown-ups -- cheerfully ends the book by celebrating the "mindless action" and lack of life lessons. Kids will enjoy the silly puns (which/witch doctor, tax/tacks) and goofy plot devices. Pilkey is always on the side of his young readers, and his books are a gift for kids who love reading graphic novels and comics.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about the artwork in Dog Man Unleashed. Does it look like something you could draw? How is it different?
How does the artwork in a good graphic novel help the story? Would stories like this work without the pictures?
Kids can try creating their own flip-o-rama or full comic.
Book Details
- Author :
- Illustrator : Dav Pilkey
- Genre : Graphic Novel
- Topics : Adventures , Animals
- Book type : Fiction
- Publisher : Graphix
- Publication date : December 27, 2016
- Publisher's recommended age(s) : 7 - 18
- Number of pages : 224
- Available on : Nook, Hardback, Apple Books, Kindle
- Last updated : October 9, 2025
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