How to Train Your Dad
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- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2021-10-19 11:21:18
- Update Date：2025-09-07
- Status：finish
- Author：Gary Paulsen
- ISBN：1250815436
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
Reviews
Latisha’s Low-key Life
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Typical of Gary Paulsen， How to Train Your Dad is delightful！ When I taught fourth grade， my team and I used several of his books in our classrooms。 Short SynopsisCarl is a teenage boy who lives with his dad and his dog。 His dad is quite the thrifty fellow。 He loves to barter， hit up garage sales， and fix up junk。 His fix-it skills aren’t always up to par。 Secondhand or free goods are the bane of his existence。 His green living lifestyle includes dumpster diving。 Poor Carl had to wear pink bibs Typical of Gary Paulsen， How to Train Your Dad is delightful！ When I taught fourth grade， my team and I used several of his books in our classrooms。 Short SynopsisCarl is a teenage boy who lives with his dad and his dog。 His dad is quite the thrifty fellow。 He loves to barter， hit up garage sales， and fix up junk。 His fix-it skills aren’t always up to par。 Secondhand or free goods are the bane of his existence。 His green living lifestyle includes dumpster diving。 Poor Carl had to wear pink bibs with sayings on them。 It is tough to impress the ladies living this way！ Carl decides he is going to try to train his dad using a puppy training pamphlet。 Will it work？ Only time will tell。 The craziness zips forward as Carl tries to live his life。 My Thoughts How to Train Your Dad was a treat to read。 I could picture myself back in the classroom reading this with my class。 The pictures Gary Paulsen paints in your head are spectacular！ I was saddened to hear Gary passed away a few days ago。 There will be no more brilliant stories like this one in the future。 He had a way of sparking interest with his descriptive and well-thought-out stories。 How to Train Your Dad is a phenomenal book for 4th-6th graders。 I found myself laughing out loud throughout the story。 I listened to the last few chapters in the truck with my husband， and he was chuckling too！ 😂 The audio version is the best and definitely helps with the funny factor。 Check this one out， no matter what age you are。 It is a knee-jerking， laugh-out-loud pleasure！ Thank you NetGalley！Read more reviews at Latishaslowkeylife。com。 。。。more
LS Johnson
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Only the father felt like a genuine character to me。
Sally Kruger
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Carl knows his dad is really smart， but when you are interested in a girl named Peggy and want to go to school looking what his best friend Pooder calls "lookatable，" having a smart dad just isn't what Carl needs。 Carl's dad is a live off the grid kind of guy。 There's the dumpster diving for still useable items and food for their pigs and chickens。 There's the garage sales where Carl cringes when his dad barters for stuff that might be good， but he's not always sure good for what。 Spending money Carl knows his dad is really smart， but when you are interested in a girl named Peggy and want to go to school looking what his best friend Pooder calls "lookatable，" having a smart dad just isn't what Carl needs。 Carl's dad is a live off the grid kind of guy。 There's the dumpster diving for still useable items and food for their pigs and chickens。 There's the garage sales where Carl cringes when his dad barters for stuff that might be good， but he's not always sure good for what。 Spending money on new stuff isn't part of his dad's way of life so Carl wears garage sale clothes or thrift shop finds whether they actually fit or not。Carl would love to talk about these things with his dad， but he isn't sure exactly how to approach it。 When he finds a pamphlet with simple instructions on how to train a puppy， Carl thinks maybe with a few tweaks， he could use a similar method on his dad。 With some well-meaning advice and a few suggestions from his friend Pooder， Carl begins implementing some positive and negative reinforcement techniques on dear old dad。Author Gary Paulsen's latest book is a fun-filled read reminiscent of HOW ANGEL PETERSON GOT HIS NAME and HARRIS AND ME。 Paulsen fans new and old are sure to love the quirky characters and laugh out loud humor of HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DAD。 。。。more
Haylie
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12-year-old Carl is embarrassed of his dad， like most kids his age。 But Carl's dad， with his eco-friendly existence of living off the grid， dumpster diving， and bargaining for fun， has Carl reaching his limit。 So Carl hatches a plan to train his dad to act more normal。 What ensues is a summer filled with adventure， laugh out loud moments and maybe a little success in his "puppy" training。 From epic Gary Paulsen comes a book about being a middle schooler just wanting to fit in。 Carl is a relatabl 12-year-old Carl is embarrassed of his dad， like most kids his age。 But Carl's dad， with his eco-friendly existence of living off the grid， dumpster diving， and bargaining for fun， has Carl reaching his limit。 So Carl hatches a plan to train his dad to act more normal。 What ensues is a summer filled with adventure， laugh out loud moments and maybe a little success in his "puppy" training。 From epic Gary Paulsen comes a book about being a middle schooler just wanting to fit in。 Carl is a relatable character as we've all had those moments of being embarrassed by our parents and just wanting to fit in。 While Carl may find his dad to be over the top， you also cannot help but like him too。 Middle Grade readers will connect with the themes of family， friendship， and adventure。 There are some laugh out loud moments throughout this story。 I wish the ending hadn't felt as rushed， but it was still a great story。 。。。more
Renee MA
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A cute audiobook more about best friends than training dads。
Faith
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Gary Paulsen's How to Train Your Dad is a humorous exploration of family dynamics， outward appearances， and changing expectations。Twelve-year-old Carl is embarrassed by his father's scrappy ways， consisting of dumpster-diving， bartering for goods， and seeming obliviousness to the inherent shame of like-new overalls that are bright pink。As Carl is more aware of girls -- one in particular -- that he'd like to impress， he assesses realistic ways he might alter his father's behaviors。 Enter a puppy Gary Paulsen's How to Train Your Dad is a humorous exploration of family dynamics， outward appearances， and changing expectations。Twelve-year-old Carl is embarrassed by his father's scrappy ways， consisting of dumpster-diving， bartering for goods， and seeming obliviousness to the inherent shame of like-new overalls that are bright pink。As Carl is more aware of girls -- one in particular -- that he'd like to impress， he assesses realistic ways he might alter his father's behaviors。 Enter a puppy training guide; could the same techniques change his father's tendencies into more socially acceptable behaviors？ Of course nothing quite goes as expected in this middle-grade story， and it is bound to entertain its target audience as a greater lesson is gleaned。Dan Bittner is a talented narrator and has dynamic voices to portray the various cast of characters。（I received an advanced listener audiobook from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for my honest review。） 。。。more
Nikki
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It’s a Gary Paulsen book， need I say more？ I really enjoyed this father and son story about change， compromise， and growing up。 I can’t wait to add it to my middle school library。
Jill
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Twelve-year-old Carl lives happily with his father。 While their lifestyle is different than most， they live as simply as they can。 They grow their own vegetables and own chickens and a couple of pigs。 They dumpster dive for expired and ugly produce to feed the pigs and frequent garage sales for bargains。 His father can fix just about anything， so he barters for items he needs， or he finds something that is broken down and fixes it for them to use。 Life is good for Carl and his dad。 Until Carl ge Twelve-year-old Carl lives happily with his father。 While their lifestyle is different than most， they live as simply as they can。 They grow their own vegetables and own chickens and a couple of pigs。 They dumpster dive for expired and ugly produce to feed the pigs and frequent garage sales for bargains。 His father can fix just about anything， so he barters for items he needs， or he finds something that is broken down and fixes it for them to use。 Life is good for Carl and his dad。 Until Carl gets himself something brand new， something he’s never had before。 Carl gets a crush on a girl。 Her name is Peggy， and Carl thinks that he will be invisible to her unless he can figure out how to adjust his lifestyle to include new clothes and maybe some shoes。 But when his father finds him some bib overalls with lots of big pockets for a steal， Carl goes along with it even though they’re pink。 And he goes along with the camo t-shirts， even though they’re way too big。 And when he’s putting the bargain puppy food in the bin for them to feed to their pit bull rescue dog Carol。 Carl gets an idea。 Instead of Carol’s usual dog food， there was a big bag of puppy food that had been marked down because there had been a hole in the bag。 But as Carl was pouring the food out， he pulled out a pamphlet from the food。 At first， he was going to throw it away， thinking it was a coupon or something。 But it was actually a training pamphlet， to help puppy owners figure out how to modify their new pet’s behavior。 And Carl wonders if those training ideas will work on his dad。 Carl and his best friend Pooder try to figure out how to modify the ideas of positive reinforcement to help stop Carl’s dad from shopping only at garage sales。 He wants Peggy to see him， he wants to be lookatable。 That is the goal。 And the way to get there—training。 Carl tries ignoring his dad when he drives by garage sales， but that doesn’t work as well as when he tries to distract his dad by playing ball or going to Dairy Queen。 And when he gets desperate， he tries the squirt bottle。 The training starts slow， but things start to pick up。 And after some successes and some wild adventures， Carl thinks that he’ finally starting to get through to his father， starting to change his behavior。 And then he finds out that his dad has found his notebook， where he had been keeping notes on the whole training process。 Will he figure out a way to make things right with his dad？ And will he figure out how to get Peggy to look at him， maybe even talk to him？ Or will the whole summer be a complete loss？ How to Train Your Father is a clever look at that time of growing up when you want to love your parents but also want to change them into something less embarrassing。 Three-time Newberry Honor winner Gary Paulsen has crafted a story that is funny and touching， warm and loving but with the slightly destructive energy of a growing boy and the misadventures that comes along with that。 I thought that How to Train Your Dad was a lot of fun。 I loved the way Carl genuinely cares for his father and for the goofy friendship he and Pooder have。 There are some gross moments that I think many 12-year-old boys will appreciate （and some girls）， but honestly I could have done with just a little less （especially the frog）。 But it’s a well written book with a great story， so I hope it finds its way to lots of readers’ hearts。 Egalleys for How to Train Your Dad were provided by Macmillan Children’s Publishing Group through NetGalley， with many thanks。 。。。more
Sherwood Smith
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I liked the idea of this book more than I liked the execution。Carl and his dad live so far off the grid it's almost in another world。 Carl wants to be normal， but his dad， who has the biggest heart and the worst case of cluelessness ever， keeps messing up when he wants to be helpful。It was a little too male-gazy in a way that kept throwing me out， （especially with the constant parantheticals） of the story。 It never quite engaged me--and I'm not sure I would have felt differently as a kid reader。 I liked the idea of this book more than I liked the execution。Carl and his dad live so far off the grid it's almost in another world。 Carl wants to be normal， but his dad， who has the biggest heart and the worst case of cluelessness ever， keeps messing up when he wants to be helpful。It was a little too male-gazy in a way that kept throwing me out， （especially with the constant parantheticals） of the story。 It never quite engaged me--and I'm not sure I would have felt differently as a kid reader。OTOH it could be today's kids will be fascinated by the ideas of off the grid living if even in a train wreck way， and might find Carl an enjoyable protagonist。Copy provided by NetGalley 。。。more
Cris
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We all think our parents do things that make our life hard or embarrass us but Carl has decided to do something about it after a news broadcast has caught him in a embarrassing situation。 During his experiment to retrain his dad（ the tips he receives he adjusts from his puppy tips manual） and Carl even keeps a document journal of experiment。 The big question is what will he learn？ It’s actually a really cute story and I’m looking forward to a book two。 Thank you to NetGalley and Gary Paulsen。
Karlie Schaefer
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"Sometimes you learn more from painful experience than helpful warning。"How To Train Your Dad is a fun middle grade novel by bestselling author Gary Paulsen。 You probably read his most famous book Hatchet back in middle school yourself。 I remember really enjoying Hatchet so was looking forward to reading Paulsen again， all these years later。 They are very different books， but I enjoyed How To Train Your Dad nonetheless。 It's witten from the perspective of the main character， Carl， with the help "Sometimes you learn more from painful experience than helpful warning。"How To Train Your Dad is a fun middle grade novel by bestselling author Gary Paulsen。 You probably read his most famous book Hatchet back in middle school yourself。 I remember really enjoying Hatchet so was looking forward to reading Paulsen again， all these years later。 They are very different books， but I enjoyed How To Train Your Dad nonetheless。 It's witten from the perspective of the main character， Carl， with the help of his best friend， Pooder。 Paulsen does an excellent job making the reader feel like it's really written by children。 I found myself laughing out loud multiple times and really empathizing with Carl。 A heartwarming story that I think kids today are going to have fun reading， and they will probably even learn a thing or two in the meantime。 Disclaimer: The quoted text is from an advanced reader copy I received from Macmillan Children's Books and NetGalley in exchange for my honest review。 。。。more
Robin
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Thanks to Macmillan Audio （Macmillan Young Listeners） and NetGalley for an advanced listening copy of this book。 How to Train Your Dad is a funny story about a 12-year-old boy named Carl who is desperate to fit in better with his classmates as well as catch the attention of a girl at school。 When Carl finds a dog training pamphlet inside a bag of dog food， he decides to try training his dad not to be so thrifty。 Carl's bartering， dumpster-diving father reminded me so much of my own buy-massive-q Thanks to Macmillan Audio （Macmillan Young Listeners） and NetGalley for an advanced listening copy of this book。 How to Train Your Dad is a funny story about a 12-year-old boy named Carl who is desperate to fit in better with his classmates as well as catch the attention of a girl at school。 When Carl finds a dog training pamphlet inside a bag of dog food， he decides to try training his dad not to be so thrifty。 Carl's bartering， dumpster-diving father reminded me so much of my own buy-massive-quantities-because-it-was-on-sale dad。 Carl also has a pitbull which made the book even more endearing to my pibble mama heart。 。。。more
Hope Hunter
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Carl's dad is making every attempt to live off the grid - dumpster diving and bartering for goods being the main way he does this。 Carl is mortified by the things his father expects him to embrace （wearing pink overalls and too small briefs from the bulk sale included） and begins to try to retrain his father by using a dog training manual。 He journals about his successes and failures and feels like his is seeing minor achievements。 But then his father discovers his journal。I have a weird opinion Carl's dad is making every attempt to live off the grid - dumpster diving and bartering for goods being the main way he does this。 Carl is mortified by the things his father expects him to embrace （wearing pink overalls and too small briefs from the bulk sale included） and begins to try to retrain his father by using a dog training manual。 He journals about his successes and failures and feels like his is seeing minor achievements。 But then his father discovers his journal。I have a weird opinion of Gary Paulsen - I believe I am probably the only person this side of the Mississippi River who did not like "Hatchet，" the novel he is most know for。 I read it three times trying to like it， but came up short every time。 However， I do recognize the writing is excellent and that book has reached a large audience over an extended period of time， landing it in what I would consider "classic" territory for middle age readers。 I have enjoyed Paulsen's other books more: "How Angel Peterson Got His Name" and "Masters of Disaster" in particular。 I feel like this book definitely falls in to the latter category since there is much humor and you can't help but feel sorry for this poor kid， and as an adult， I do have a sense of admiration for what his dad is trying to do。Paulsen fans will be Paulsen fans and will like anything he publishes。 For other readers， this is a funny， unique read about dealing with the eccentricities of your parents。 。。。more
Larissa
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What does one doe when their dad is the biggest embarrassment ever？ Well you try to train them of course！ Now what can one use to train a dad。 It is not like there are books on training parents， but you know what there are books and pamphlets on training a puppy。 When Carl realizes that his dad's habits are not those of a normal dad， he takes it upon himself to try and correct the behaviors。 With a dog training pamphlet in hand， which has some amazing training ideas in it， Carl goes about the su What does one doe when their dad is the biggest embarrassment ever？ Well you try to train them of course！ Now what can one use to train a dad。 It is not like there are books on training parents， but you know what there are books and pamphlets on training a puppy。 When Carl realizes that his dad's habits are not those of a normal dad， he takes it upon himself to try and correct the behaviors。 With a dog training pamphlet in hand， which has some amazing training ideas in it， Carl goes about the summer seeing if he can change his dad out of some bad behaviors。 Will he be able to amend his dads odd ways in time for Carl to go back to school and talk with the girl of his dreams？ Or will Carl be forever be embarrassed by his dad？This is just such a fun book。 I love that Carl and his friend Pooder have such different outlooks on how Carl's dad acts。 Sometimes Pooder agrees that Carl's dad's actions are to eccentric and other times he just joins in on the fun and embarrasses the strange。 I think that kids will love seeing that everyone lives differently and that things they may think are embarrassing about their parents are not always embarrassing to others around them。 I also love that Carl is able to come up with so many innovative ideas at the end of the book that not only incorporate the lifestyle he has been brought up in but also could change the community for the better。 Thank you Macmillan Children's Publishing Group and NetGalley for allowing me to read an advance copy of this book。 。。。more
Mark Buxton
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What worked:The best part of the book is Carl’s dad， as he creates an unusual problem for his son。 They live in a trailer located in an industrial part of town， and their yard consists of dirt。 His dad doesn’t believe in money， and he’s focused on filling needs， not wants。 However， dumpster diving and getting clothes from second-hand shops or garage sales isn’t an impression a twelve-year-old boy wants to share with others。 Faded pink overalls， underwear that’s too small， and shoes that are too What worked:The best part of the book is Carl’s dad， as he creates an unusual problem for his son。 They live in a trailer located in an industrial part of town， and their yard consists of dirt。 His dad doesn’t believe in money， and he’s focused on filling needs， not wants。 However， dumpster diving and getting clothes from second-hand shops or garage sales isn’t an impression a twelve-year-old boy wants to share with others。 Faded pink overalls， underwear that’s too small， and shoes that are too big affect Carl’s self-image。 SP， the label Carl uses for his dad， has a special talent for repairing things， although he tends to make unexpected modifications。 The consequences create surprise twists to the plot and embarrassing experiences for Carl。 The plot focuses on Carl’s efforts to change his father’s unusual decisions， but his plans are based on a pamphlet instructing owners on how to change their pets’ behaviors。 Obviously， pets and humans are quite different。 The story is told from Carl’s point of view， as he explains to readers the experiment to make his life less awkward。 Middle-grade readers can identify with Carl’s desires to be accepted by his peers and to not stand out in negative ways。 Carl tries ignoring negative behaviors， using positive reinforcement for good behaviors， and distracting his father from unwanted situations。 The results are mixed but always amusing。 Carl’s best friend Pooder adds creative ideas to the situations which results in additional humor。The family has a pit bull named Carol that becomes an influential character。 Carol is a rescue dog with a horrible history， but she becomes a loyal and protective member of the family。 Skunks found on the property are quickly torn to shreds， and her growls and teeth tell everyone she means business。 Carl discovers she is more intelligent than he expected， since Carol seems to figure out Carl is experimenting on his father。 Carol enjoys SP’s lifestyle， so she doesn’t appreciate Carl’s attempts to make changes。 She becomes an obstacle， as Carl tries to train his dad。 What didn’t work as well:A primary motivation for Carl is a wish to impress the most awesome， cute girl at school。 However， she doesn’t show up in the story until the end， and the plot doesn’t include any events at school。 Interacting with the girl and other students would help to emphasize the conflict and increase the tension。 The author has an unexpected reason for not including the girl that makes sense in the story， but other students could have been used。The Final Verdict:A hilarious journey to survive middle school。 Carl’s lifestyle is unusual， and his strategy to change his father’s behavior is equally strange。 The story is sure to entertain and is highly recommended for your amusement。 。。。more
Julie
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With thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early copy in return for an honest review。I have really mixed feelings on this book。 On one hand， I really liked the idea behind the book and appreciate that Carl wasn't trying to be outright rude and disrespectful even though his dad's lifestyle choices were tough for him。 But on the other hand， I was never able to fully engage with the story because the execution was just a bit off。 But overall， I think older MG readers will enjoy the story， as With thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early copy in return for an honest review。I have really mixed feelings on this book。 On one hand， I really liked the idea behind the book and appreciate that Carl wasn't trying to be outright rude and disrespectful even though his dad's lifestyle choices were tough for him。 But on the other hand， I was never able to fully engage with the story because the execution was just a bit off。 But overall， I think older MG readers will enjoy the story， as they do all of Paulsen's books。 。。。more
Susan Metallo
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When his dad's eccentric behavior threatens to embarrass him in front of the girl he likes， a 12 year old turns to a puppy training pamphlet for a solution。I received an Advance Reader Copy of this book from the publisher in order to write this review。This spirited narrator had me laughing from page one。 In addition to hilarious descriptions and zany situations， strong themes of family and identity give the novel the kind of depth you expect from Gary Paulsen。 As a dog lover， I especially apprec When his dad's eccentric behavior threatens to embarrass him in front of the girl he likes， a 12 year old turns to a puppy training pamphlet for a solution。I received an Advance Reader Copy of this book from the publisher in order to write this review。This spirited narrator had me laughing from page one。 In addition to hilarious descriptions and zany situations， strong themes of family and identity give the novel the kind of depth you expect from Gary Paulsen。 As a dog lover， I especially appreciated how much of a pivotal character rescue-pup Carol ended up being。 Any fan of middle grade contemporary fiction will love this new title， especially those looking for an unrelenting comedy。 This is also a great candidate for classroom use since the humor will appeal to even the most reluctant readers while the thematic content will allow for meaningful discussion。 。。。more
Erica
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This book is a laugh out loud story with memorable characters， unexpected events， and meaningful life lessons！ Carl is a 12 year old looking to improve his image and catch the attention of his dream girl Peggy。 Unfortunately， his dad， friend named Pooder， and dog， Carol seem to always attract attention。 Carl finds a dog training manual and sets out to "train" his dad by using it as a guide。 The highlight of this book is it's honest and unique portrayal of a family lifestyle of bartering and coll This book is a laugh out loud story with memorable characters， unexpected events， and meaningful life lessons！ Carl is a 12 year old looking to improve his image and catch the attention of his dream girl Peggy。 Unfortunately， his dad， friend named Pooder， and dog， Carol seem to always attract attention。 Carl finds a dog training manual and sets out to "train" his dad by using it as a guide。 The highlight of this book is it's honest and unique portrayal of a family lifestyle of bartering and collecting which is not the typical experience of most people。 The heart of the family is strong and positive and represents a new way to view the world。Love this book so much！！！ 。。。more
Sharon
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It's Gary Paulsen。 Hand this book to almost any middle schooler and watch what happens。 Carl， almost 13， on his way to junior high， decides he can't take his dad's off-the-grid existence anymore。 He can no longer wear pink bib overalls， and all he really wants is a neat bike so he can impress a certain classmate。 Carl finds a puppy training booklet and wonders if it will work on people。 He and his best friend， Pooder， decide to try it out。 Rebooting a dumpster diving dad is a far cry from pape It's Gary Paulsen。 Hand this book to almost any middle schooler and watch what happens。 Carl， almost 13， on his way to junior high， decides he can't take his dad's off-the-grid existence anymore。 He can no longer wear pink bib overalls， and all he really wants is a neat bike so he can impress a certain classmate。 Carl finds a puppy training booklet and wonders if it will work on people。 He and his best friend， Pooder， decide to try it out。 Rebooting a dumpster diving dad is a far cry from paper training a puppy but Carl gives it his best shot。 This is a laugh-out loud book and might make a great read-aloud with middle school students。 I received an e-ARC from NetGalley and Macmillan Children's Publishing Group， in exchange for a review。 。。。more
Becky
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A humorous and quick read for the middle grades。 Twelve year old Carl has an embarrassing dad and sets out to “reboot” him using methods outlined in a puppy training pamphlet。
Jenni
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 A funny， quick read。 How to Train Your Dad follows our narrator， a 12 year old boy named Carl who has the embarrassing dad。 The dad who would rather barter for everything， dumpster dives for food， and who buys their clothing at garage sales because he can get great deals。 Even if the underwear is 4 sizes too small or the shirts are all 3X。 They live off the grid in a trailer and raise pigs and chickens for food， then dumpster dive for anything they can't produce themselves。 Carl just wants a "no A funny， quick read。 How to Train Your Dad follows our narrator， a 12 year old boy named Carl who has the embarrassing dad。 The dad who would rather barter for everything， dumpster dives for food， and who buys their clothing at garage sales because he can get great deals。 Even if the underwear is 4 sizes too small or the shirts are all 3X。 They live off the grid in a trailer and raise pigs and chickens for food， then dumpster dive for anything they can't produce themselves。 Carl just wants a "normal" dad like his best friend has。 Because， face it， when you're a 12 year old boy and you're just starting to notice girls， you want the dad who will take you to the mall to buy a cool outfit and some new Vans。 Not the guy who barters for the pink overalls and someone else's too-big shoes at the garage sale。 When emptying a bag of dog food into a bin， he finds a pamphlet about puppy training， so he decides to try to train his Dad to be more normal， because mammals aren't all that different， right？ Puppy training and dad training should be similar。 Very funny and best suited for the middle school audience。 。。。more
Monica Fastenau
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*Note: I received a free copy of this book from the publisher。 All opinions are my own。
Ms。 Yingling
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E ARC provided by Edelweiss PlusCarl and his father live in a dilapidated trailer outside of town。 While his father revels in getting food from the dumpster， clothes from garage sales， and bartering for everything else， Carl is less thrilled， especially when the overalls his father obtains are hot pink！ Most of the time， Carl is okay with their off the grid lifestyle， and even admires his father for his efforts， but when he gets further into middle school and wants to draw positive attention fro E ARC provided by Edelweiss PlusCarl and his father live in a dilapidated trailer outside of town。 While his father revels in getting food from the dumpster， clothes from garage sales， and bartering for everything else， Carl is less thrilled， especially when the overalls his father obtains are hot pink！ Most of the time， Carl is okay with their off the grid lifestyle， and even admires his father for his efforts， but when he gets further into middle school and wants to draw positive attention from girls （and one girl in particular）， he is increasingly embarrassed by his father。 His friend， Pooder， on the other hand， thinks that bartering and making do are really cool; mainly because he doesn't have to live that way himself！ When he is emptying dog food for their pit bull Carol into a secure garbage can， he finds a puppy training manual， and decides to use positive reinforcement to slowly change his father's behavior。 He goes to great lengths to distract his father， spending weekends at nature preserves and doing other activities so that the two don't end up at more garage sales。 This doesn't stop his father from making a spectacularly ugly recumbent bike for him， but his father does catch on eventually and makes attempts at having a more stable， socially acceptable life style。 Strengths: I am continually surprised by Paulsen's ability to write humorous books， but his Liar， Liar series， Masters of Disaster， and This Side of Wild are all excellent examples of how well Paulsen does with this genre。 As someone who can scrounge with the best of them and whose furniture was largely gotten from curbs， I can both understand what the father is trying to do to survive and also understand whey Carl might be embarrassed by this。 While Carl does want some "nicer" things， like clothes that are new and fit， or a better bicycle， he's not at all bratty about this。 When his father does buy him new clothes， he appreciates them， and tries very hard to keep them nice， even when he has an accident and is bleeding。 He willingly dumpster dives while wearing pink overalls， and is philosophical when he makes the news while doing so。 While it isn't explicitly state， there was a strong undercurrent of worry about economic insecurity that I could see Carl experiencing， and I think that is what pushed him to "train" his father。 This was pure fun at many points， and even had an excellent scene where Pooder is treating women in a sexist way， and Carl has this thought （From the E ARC）: There are times when you correct your friend for being an archaic， sexist pig like CB and then there are times when you sit back and wait for karma to drop-kick his disrespectful butt into gentlemanly manners。。。 who a I to depreice some budding feminist of the chance to put Pooder in his place？" Excellent point！Weaknesses: The use of dog training methods to change human behavior was done better in Margolis' Boys Are Dogs （2009！） and Stewart's Fetching （2011）。 The training works， but more because his father finds out what he is trying to do than because the training is effective。What I really think: Mr。 Paulsen is 82 years old。 I will enjoy every book he writes for the great turns of phrase and ingenious plots， and be okay with any roughness in execution。 。。。more
Laura
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Carl wants to be normal。 An often theme of middle grade fiction。Although， in this case， his father lives off the grid， and barters for everything。 He has his way of living， and Carl is getting tired of living that way。 He wants clothes that are new， not yard sale rejects， so he decides to train his dad the way you train a puppy， to get him to change his ways。I guess I am the wrong reader for this， because I felt sorry for the dad， more than I felt sorry for Carl。 His father was happy living his Carl wants to be normal。 An often theme of middle grade fiction。Although， in this case， his father lives off the grid， and barters for everything。 He has his way of living， and Carl is getting tired of living that way。 He wants clothes that are new， not yard sale rejects， so he decides to train his dad the way you train a puppy， to get him to change his ways。I guess I am the wrong reader for this， because I felt sorry for the dad， more than I felt sorry for Carl。 His father was happy living his life this way， and Carl wanted to turn him into something like the rest of the drones in the world。But， it is well written， and a quick read， and for those who sympathize with Carl， it can be quite an enjoyable book。Thanks to Netgalley for making this book available for an honest review。 。。。more
Tara Alemany
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Based on the description， I wasn't necessarily expecting something along the lines of Hatchet， but I also wasn't quite prepared for something like The Diary of a Wimpy Kid either。There was a lot of entertaining quirky zaniness in the story that made me want to keep reading， and Paulsen's imagination truly runs wild here。 I found myself laughing quite a few times as I read it。 Based on the description， I wasn't necessarily expecting something along the lines of Hatchet， but I also wasn't quite prepared for something like The Diary of a Wimpy Kid either。There was a lot of entertaining quirky zaniness in the story that made me want to keep reading， and Paulsen's imagination truly runs wild here。 I found myself laughing quite a few times as I read it。 。。。more
Cheryl Mizerny
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Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for sharing an electronic arc of this novel。This is everything you want and expect from a Gary Paulsen book。 It is laugh-out-loud funny， thoughtful， and has fantastic characters。 My students will enjoy it。
Haleyyy
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4。5 stars *This book was so， so ridiculously adorable！ I'm not going to lie， as soon as I saw a new book by Gary Paulsen I jumped all over it。 I （like every other child ever） was completely obsessed with Hatchet， and my husband ever more so than I was， and I wanted to read his new book （and brag about it to my hubby 😂） My kids are still very young， too young for middle grade books， so honestly this is the first book of this age range that I've read since I actually was this range。 But it was so 4。5 stars *This book was so， so ridiculously adorable！ I'm not going to lie， as soon as I saw a new book by Gary Paulsen I jumped all over it。 I （like every other child ever） was completely obsessed with Hatchet， and my husband ever more so than I was， and I wanted to read his new book （and brag about it to my hubby 😂） My kids are still very young， too young for middle grade books， so honestly this is the first book of this age range that I've read since I actually was this range。 But it was so adorable！ I can't wait to read this to my boys when they are older。 And the water skiing scene had me laughing so hard I couldn't breathe。 Seriously wonderful book， and the ending was so sweet。 。。。more
Josephine Sorrell
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This first hand account is a humorous and eco-friendly adventure about a boy， his free-thinking dad， and the influence a puppy-training pamphlet had in reworking Carl Hemesvdt’s father so his son can become lookatable。 This laughable and short account all happens in the summer as twelve year olds Carl and his friend Pooder go on a mission to retrain an eccentric dad。 You see Carl’s body is changing and he is pretty fed up with his father's relentless pursuit of an off-the-grid existence。 Truly， This first hand account is a humorous and eco-friendly adventure about a boy， his free-thinking dad， and the influence a puppy-training pamphlet had in reworking Carl Hemesvdt’s father so his son can become lookatable。 This laughable and short account all happens in the summer as twelve year olds Carl and his friend Pooder go on a mission to retrain an eccentric dad。 You see Carl’s body is changing and he is pretty fed up with his father's relentless pursuit of an off-the-grid existence。 Truly， Carl’s dad is a brilliant man， but dumpster-diving for food， scouring through trash for salvageable junk， and wearing clothes fully scrounged from garage sales is getting old。 He is understandably worried about what schoolmates and a certain girl at his new school might think of his circumstances and off beat attire。 Adding to the drama or rather craziness， he is encouraged by his off-kilter best friend， Pooder。 Carl implements the principles laid out in a puppy-training pamphlet in order to alter his dad’s mindset。 Well as you might imagine the results of puppy training techniques offer some bizarre results when used on a human man。 As the story comes to an end， I think you’ll find the result heartwarming due to the bind between a father and son。 Our beloved Gary Paulson has done it again。。。 another book to surely delight any third grader。 。。。more
Janie
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Paulsen's book is spot-on for teens who live in the normal USA， where big cities and subways are not part of the experience， making do with what they have， dealing with parents who have their own strong vision of what life should look like， and needing more room to grow into adulthood。This is a young-adult version of the dry and often slapstick humor for which author Patrick McManus is well-known: life in all its glory and goof-ups。The flavor of the narrative isn't for every YA or middle grade r Paulsen's book is spot-on for teens who live in the normal USA， where big cities and subways are not part of the experience， making do with what they have， dealing with parents who have their own strong vision of what life should look like， and needing more room to grow into adulthood。This is a young-adult version of the dry and often slapstick humor for which author Patrick McManus is well-known: life in all its glory and goof-ups。The flavor of the narrative isn't for every YA or middle grade reader， but it will be just right for many。 Thanks to NetGalley and Farrar， Straus and Giroux （BYR） for a chance to read an advance copy。 Coming October 5， 2021。 。。。more
Mary Beth MacLeay
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