Alpha Dog

July 3, 2006
Ziegler unleashes a breezy first novel about learning to lead the pack. A semester of college summer school in Austin, Tex., frees 17-year-old Katie from the boyfriend who dumped her on her birthday, the friends who follow suit, and her controlling mother. After tagging along to the pound with her roommate, Christine, Katie winds up choosing a dog herself-a pup so unruly that obedience school forces her to try to become the alpha dog. But adopting a dog nudges Katie from her dispirited state. Ziegler offers some humorous touches, including Katie's band groupie roommate, who dupes adults into thinking she's super-responsible (Katie's mother calls Christine for updates). Dog lovers will likely chuckle over the canine misadventures, including puppy chewing and barking. But readers may feel that the heroine doesn't ever truly bond with her dog, and the relationships between the sexes come across as somewhat superficial. Even as Katie asserts herself, the focus shifts from one romance to another. The much-anticipated confrontation with her mother seems a bit neat, and Katie's excuse about using her parents' credit card for veterinary bills without a plan for paying them back undermines her claims of independence. Still, fans of teen romance will probably enjoy this romp with a likable heroine. Ages 12-up.

September 4, 2006
Ziegler unleashes a breezy first novel about learning to lead the pack. A semester of college summer school in Austin, Tex., frees 17-year-old Katie from the boyfriend who dumped her on her birthday, the friends who follow suit, and her controlling mother. After tagging along to the pound with her roommate, Christine, Katie winds up choosing a dog herself-a pup so unruly that obedience school forces her to try to become the alpha dog. But adopting a dog nudges Katie from her dispirited state. Ziegler offers some humorous touches, including Katie's band groupie roommate, who dupes adults into thinking she's super-responsible (Katie's mother calls Christine for updates). Dog lovers will likely chuckle over the canine misadventures, including puppy chewing and barking. But readers may feel that the heroine doesn't ever truly bond with her dog, and the relationships between the sexes come across as somewhat superficial. Even as Katie asserts herself, the focus shifts from one romance to another. The much-anticipated confrontation with her mother seems a bit neat, and Katie's excuse about using her parents' credit card for veterinary bills without a plan for paying them back undermines her claims of independence. Still, fans of teen romance will probably enjoy this romp with a likable heroine. Ages 12-up.

Copyright 2006 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

July 1, 2006
Gr. 8-11. Poor Katie! She seems to have no control over her life, especially when she's around her domineering mother. After her boyfriend dumps her on her birthday, she looks forward to a fresh start at a University of Texas summer college-prep program. To her dismay, however, a new set of controlling personalities takes over, including a retro-punk roommate. When Katie adopts an adorable, homeless mutt, she thinks she has found a true friend, but Seamus turns into a holy terror--barking, chewing, and chasing the landlady's cat. In despair, Katie tries an obedience school, where she is told to become the alpha dog. As Katie gradually gains control of Seamus, she wonders if she can also be the alpha dog with the people in her life. The dialogue is occasionally labored, and the problems are solved rather quickly, but this is a charmingly humorous romp. Dog lovers will like it, but other readers will speak for it, too.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2006, American Library Association.)

January 1, 2007
After seventeen-year-old Katie adopts a dog, her life goes from bad to worse, but once she enrolls the crazy mutt in obedience classes, things begin to look up. The self-confidence Katie gleans by managing her pet also improves the other relationships in her life. The novel as a whole, including the many dog scenes, wavers between predictable and charming.

(Copyright 2007 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)