Tag: childrens-picture-books • BookLikes

Eddie would love to have a puppy to play with. A puppy would pull on a rope. Catch a ball and lick your face. But his Uncle brings Eddie an older dog named about a famous spy.

What can you do with an old dog? It probably couldn't learn new tricks, and the only thing this dog did was stare. It's what they find to do together that makes them the best of friends!

REVIEWS:

You know the contests you see on blogs all the time? Be sure to enter when you have time

(and of course - if you're a child, ask your parents first!). I won a book by J.D. Holiday called

"The Spy Game." It's a lovely story about a little boy who wants a puppy, but instead gets

an older dog. As he feeds and walks the dog, he gets to know and appreciate the uniqueness of his new friend -

and he gets involved in a mystery, too! I hope you'll check out "The Spy Game."

Posted by Donna Shepherd

http://donnashepherd.blogspot.com/2013/10/i-won-book-spy-game-by-jd-holiday.html

The Spy Game by J D Holiday is an illustrated story for children, ages 6 – 11 I would say by Stephanie Dagg

Our hero Eddie is none too pleased at the beginning of the book as he’s just had a dog dumped on him. Uncle Reese turns up with Sidney, a friendly black dog, who used to belong to a famous spy apparently. I can share Eddie’s dismay as his mum and dad expect him to do everything for the dog, taking him for walks and feeding him, and all this before they even know how Sidney is around kids! This struck me as a little over the top but I dare say kids like that kind of parental bad behaviour.

Eddie can’t play with his friends as much because of Sidney but gradually he starts to appreciate him. Sidney barks loudly one night when he and Eddie hear a noise. Eddie is impressed at how brave Sidney is.

Then Dana’s cat is stolen and Eddie and Sidney are called in to help. Eddie is sure that having lived with a spy, Sidney knows how to keep tabs on people and track them down. Dana thinks the local “cat people”, who remain very mysterious, took him but that isn’t the case. Her cat has actually wandered off to have kittens and it’s Sidney that finds her. Dana wants to give him a newborn kitten to say thank you but fortunately, for the tiny helpless baby cat, Eddie declines the offer!

Eddie looks forward to his next adventure with Sidney.

There are lots of detailed pictures in the book in a style that appeals to kids. My eleven year old enjoyed the story.

http://www.booksarecool.com/2013/the-spy-game-by-j-d-holiday/

THE SPY GAME: J.D. HOLIDAY by Reviewer Fran Lewis

Posted on January 7, 2013

The Spy Game by J.D. Holiday

Eddie is kind of upset because he now has a responsibility he would rather not have at all. Eddie is now the owner of Sidney a black dog. Personally, I think Sidney is quite handsome, alert and definitely looks like a spy dog. He was named after a famous spy and just by looking at him you can tell that he is smart, alert and notices things that most other dogs would not. Eddie takes one look at Sidney who was watching him talk. Poor Eddie does not want a full-grown dog he wants a puppy.

Walking this dog would not be an easy task for him but each time he tried Sidney looked like he wanted to say something but we all know that dogs let us know their true feelings by the loudness of their barks or bays. Poor Eddie could not even go on the school bus with his two friends because he had to walk Sidney. You can tell how disappointed his friends Joel and Dana are just by looking at the expressions on their faces on page 9 in the colorful illustrations created by author J.D. Holiday.

To Eddie things just looked like they were going to get worse because he could not even play ball after school because he had to care for Sidney. But, something would change everything when his friend Dana comes charging up to him upset. Her cat was stolen and she thinks the cat people took her. Sidney, our clever and smart dog was listening and did not miss a word or a beat. Remember: he was named after a spy and just maybe he inherited some of the skills of a true spy that could help the good guys catch the criminals.

That night Sidney and Eddie hear something in his room. Could it be a burglar or just some noises from someone walking in the house? But, it caused Sidney to stir and bark really loud. Eddie was so grateful that Sidney was there he just might start to change his mind about this black dog. Just maybe that might become friends! So, Sidney and Eddie decided to stick together that night to make sure that everyone was safe and sound.

But, I think it would be more fun to hear the rest of the story from our famous dog: Sidney and maybe he will let you in on some of his training to detect danger, spies and who knows what else this great dog can do.

“Hi Everyone: This is Sidney: You won’t believe what happened the next morning before school. Eddie and I had breakfast together and he began thinking about how I could probably help him find Dana’s cat and maybe even go on some adventures together. That would be cool because I really like Eddie and hope he starts to like me too and forget about trading me in for a puppy.

So, we decided to go for a walk and we bumped into Dana he was really upset that her cat was still missing. Dana wanted to go to the house belonging to the cat people to see if her cat was there. That could be dangerous so Eddie and I decided she needed my professional help. Eddie took Sidney to the cat people’s house and Sidney did not see any cats. The cat people have too many cats and no one really knows just how many. I looked around and pretended to be sleeping but Eddie knew that I was just scouting the area and the territory when a woman opened the door of the cathouse dragging a wagon filled with boxes. Now, I have to find out what is in those boxes. But, the wait was not long because as the door slammed the boxes opened and an orange cat leaped out. Imagine how many others might be hidden in these boxes and where could she be taking them?

That I cannot tell you and I cannot tell you if I found Dana’s cat or what happens that causes Eddie to become my best bud or not. What I can tell you is that you have to read this great story about how a spy dog and a young boy named Eddie decided to give it a try and see where the spy game might take them or not. Can a black dog that is really smart help find a cat? Can a dog named Sidney and a boy named Eddie become good pals and help to find criminals, stray cats and more? That my dear readers and friends you will not learn from me but hopefully author J.D. Holiday will bring us back again for more adventures. By the way check out the cook pictures of the kids, the houses and of course me the handsomest spy dog in the world.”

Thanks for reading this review and I hope you will read this story to your own children, to other kids, to children in school, parents at story time or buy some copies for holidays and birthdays. Till next time. This is Sidney the worlds greatest spy dog and Fran Lewis saying this book gets: FIVE SIDNEYS

http://gabina49.wordpress.com/2013/01/07/the-spy-game-j-d-holiday-2/

Story notes:

My brother, Ike's dog, Sheeba had puppies. He ask me to take this one puppy he named, Sidney Reilly after a spy series he and I watched together. At the time I had a dog and didn't think my older dog, Snoopy would be happy with a new addition.

My brother felt sure this dog was for me and he kept it with that in mind. When the puppy was 11 months old, my brother, Ike died of a heart attack. AND Sidney came to me.
I was wrong to think that my dog, Snoopy and Sidney would not get along. They did in their own way.

Though this did not happen in real live, in The Spy Game I have my brother bring Sidney to my character's house to live. ~ JD Holiday