The One and Only Bob

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Synopsis

Bob got a rough start in life, being abandoned on the side of the road along with his puppy siblings. He tries not to think much about that incident, but every once in a while, he wonders what became of his scrappy sister, Boss. Bob has since settled into his new life with Julia and her parents. Although the former street dog likes to maintain an air of independence, he enjoys having a home and a family to call his own. Since Julia's dad works at the wildlife park where Bob's best friends, Ivan and Ruby, now live, he gets to visit them often. On one such day, the news has said a hurricane is approaching. When a tornado that has spawned in it's wake comes upon them suddenly, Bob is separated from Julia. He worries about his girl and his animal friends in the aftermath. But when Bob hears a familiar bark over a police radio, he knows he must go in search of his long-lost sister in spite of the storm and has to muster up courage he didn't know he had to become a hero in more ways than one.

Review

The One and Only Bob is a middle-grade children's book and the second in Katherine Applegate's The One and Only series. In this one, we have Bob, Ivan's little dog friend and closest companion from The One and Only Ivan. At the end of the first book, when Mack's circus was shut down and all the animals were rehomed, Bob went to live with Julia and her parents. There he has a nice cushy life with lots of love and cuddles, but the other animals in the neighborhood have started to tease Bob about becoming soft. For a former street dog who prides himself on being tough, that's a hard pill to swallow. Still, his new life sure beats the old one where he had to scrounge for food just to survive and frequently run to stay out of Mack's clutches and remain independent. Every once in a while, Bob also thinks of how he came to be at the Exit 8 Big Top Mall and Video Arcade, and he misses the sister he thinks may still be out there somewhere. Since Julia's dad works for the wild animal park where Ivan and Ruby now live, Julia is able to regularly bring Bob to visit his friends. One day, while they're at the park, a tornado spawned by an oncoming hurricane hits, putting both animal and human lives in danger. In the aftermath, Bob waits anxiously for news of Ivan. Then he hears a bark over a police radio that he's all but certain is his long-lost sister, so he goes to the animal shelter to investigate. But the next thing he knows, the shelter is flooding with seemingly no way out, and the full force of the hurricane arrives, once again endangering both Bob and all the other shelter animals.

Bob is a little fluffy chihuahua mix who got a really tough start to life when humans tossed him and his puppy siblings out the window of a truck. He survived but most of the others didn't, except for one sister who he heard barking in the aftermath, but he wasn't able to find her. Cold and starving, Bob eventually made his way to the Exit 8 Big Top Mall and Video Arcade, where he found food, shelter, and a friend in Ivan. For the most part Bob stayed close to the mall, but he would frequently make treks out into the wider world in search of his sister, Boss, to no avail. When the mall was shut down by animal rights activists, Bob went to live with Julia, the little girl who often came to visit while her dad was caring for the animals at the mall. Bob is torn between liking his new life and family and still wanting to project the aura of the independent, streetwise dog he used to be. He doesn't think he's brave and usually just looks out for himself, but when the hurricane hits, he instinctively starts searching for those he loves: Julia, her dad, George, and mom, Sara, Ivan, and Ruby. After hearing the bark that he thinks is his sister, he goes in search of Boss, too, even risking his life to find and save those close to him. Bob is kind of a no-nonsense pragmatist, who knows first-hand what humans can be like so he doesn't trust just anyone. He does, however, love Julia and her parents. He has a very distinctive voice that shines through, a mixture of toughness and tenderness, depending on the situation. He acts like he doesn't care much, but proves otherwise when his friends are in danger. He also doesn't think that he's brave, but he exhibits that quality when he has to even if he doesn't realize it. Bob is a very memorable dog character and I'm so glad the author gave him his own story.

I enjoyed The One and Only Bob every bit as much as the first book of the series. Katherine Applegate really has a knack for getting inside the minds of animals and bringing them to life in a way that makes me love them. She has a spare writing style that somehow manages to convey a lot in very few words. She also writes with a great deal of sensitivity and compassion for both her animal and human characters. I love how she explored the concepts of family and bravery. Bob lost his dog family, then found a new family with Ivan and Ruby, and later yet another one with Julia and her parents. He also gets the opportunity to rediscover his long-lost sister, so family takes on many forms in this book. Also Bob repeatedly says how he's learned to only look out for himself and that he isn't brave at all, but time after time, he shows that he has more fortitude than he thinks. Sometimes bravery is just being there for a friend during a crisis or simply doing the right thing. Through these themes, I felt the story had a positive message for the middle-schoolers at which it's aimed, and I also felt it was fully appropriate for the age group. It does contain some difficult topics like animal abuse, loss and grief, but IMHO, they're handled in an age-appropriate way. There's also some suspense caused by the hurricane putting lives in danger, but nothing too graphic or intense that older kids couldn't handle. Overall, The One and Only Bob was another heartwarming story from the fertile mind of Katherine Applegate that has made it onto my keeper shelf and earned her a spot as a new favorite author. I can't wait to continue the series.

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