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No Better Friend: Young Readers Edition: A Man, a Dog, and Their Incredible True Story of Friendship and Survival in World War II

By Mary Eisenhart, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 10+

Remarkable account of dog and radar man in POW camp.

No Better Friend: Young Readers Edition: A Man, a Dog, and Their Incredible True Story of Friendship and Survival in World War II Poster Image

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A new generation of readers learns the inspiring true story of a wily, heroic dog and her fellow POWs in WWII, especially her lifesaving adventures and lifelong bond with a young RAF radar man. Along the way, there's a wealth of historic background, with plenty of detail about the horrors of war (from death to dysentery) and the perils of jungle and sea -- all of which will probably delight history buffs and bore readers who just want a good dog story. Somewhat oddly, given the heavily historic narrative and first-person accounts, author Weintraub often treats speculation as fact where there's an unanswerable question or gap in the story, e.g.:

"With Frank, things were different from the start. It was a love story. Perhaps Judy sensed how caring and giving Frank's gesture was. A starving man was going hungry so that she could eat his rice. No wonder she fell head over heels for him."

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