Musician Lazar's debut is a thoughtful portrayal of the dog's worldview, emotions, and nature, written largely from one dog's perspective and tracking his walkabout adventures across the country after his nose leads him away from his first owner and "Great Love," Katey. Though suspension of disbelief is the name of the game, the view through a dog's eyes can become strained, but mostly Lazar draws the reader into the mind of Nelson, half beagle, half poodle, all curious, playful, and lovable, charming almost everyone who crosses his path from his start in Albany, N.Y., and beyond. Lazar's obvious affinity for dogs connects the reader to Nelson's feelings of loss, love, and survival. By adopting a dog's innocent, protective, childlike perspective, Lazar urges the reader to ponder a pet's feelings about its owner's actions. Nelson's adventures on the fringe are fascinating, and sometimes they lead him to the direst of circumstances, but his loyalty to Katey always drives him to continue on. A touching page-turner for dog lovers. (Nov.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.

Nelson, a half-beagle, half-poodle mix, is born to a dog breeder in the New England countryside. Soon he and a sibling are on their way to a pet shop in Boston, where he will languish until he is purchased by newlyweds on their way back to upstate New York. Katey, the bride, will become his Great Love, but the little family's happy life is torn apart by infidelity. Nelson gets lost and begins a lifelong journey that takes him across the country and through many lives, but he never forgets Katey. Incredible journeys are a perennially popular subset of dog stories (see W. Bruce Cameron A Dog's Purpose and Ann M. Martin's A Dog's Life: The Autobiography of a Stray), and debut novelist Lazar crafts a good one. He captures the interior and exterior lives of humans and dogs (and even wolves) with a sure hand. The author is also a musician and composer, and some chapters end with QR codes that link to music that forms the soundtrack to the novel. VERDICT This should appeal to dog lovers and lovers of a good adventure story. [See Prepub Alert, 5/23/11.]-Dan Forrest, Western Kentucky Univ., Bowling Green (c) Copyright 2011. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Like Garth Stein's The Art of Racing in the Rain (2009), Lazar's debut is told from the perspective of a dog, but Nelson's story is more in line with such hard-luck animal tales as Black Beauty. A half-beagle, half-poodle mix, Nelson and his siblings are born from a coupling of two purebred dogs who belong to a breeder. A curious pup intrigued by the many smells surrounding him, Nelson eventually finds a home with Katey, a newlywed pianist who becomes the love of Nelson's life. When Katey's philandering husband leaves the gate in the backyard unlatched one day, Nelson wanders off and isn't able to find his way home. Forced to fend for himself, Nelson's journey brings him to a solitary but kindly trucker, a fellow stray, a pack of wolves, a widower and his sensitive young son, and several close calls at dog pounds across the country. A sweet but simple tale, Lazar's novel will appeal to animal lovers nostalgic for the stories of their youth.--Huntley, Kristine Copyright 2010 Booklist

the book off the young adult shelf by allowing Nelson to observe more than one steamy scene-- "clumsy lovethe whole cab would shake back and forthdislodged again by sweaty human bodies on top of him." Not a Disney-esque Homeward Bound homage, but rather something of a canine version of Black Beauty.]] Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.