[.uk] Protecting Marie (ISBN 0061288764)

Amazon.com Review:
At the cusp of adolescence, 12-year-old Fanny Swann has reached a crisis point in her relationship with her artist-father Henry. Most recently, there was the betrayal. After years and years of having his daughter beg for a dog, Henry finally gives her a puppy. But when the precious pup starts chewing furniture and making puddles in the studio, Henry insists that the culprit be given away. But even before the betrayal there had been tension between Fanny and Henry. His need for orderliness and solitude was always in opposition to Fanny's need for companionship and clutter. Months later, on Henry's 60th birthday, he brings his daughter a trained 3-year-old dog named Dinner. The replacement dog does not mend the broken trust. Rather, it underscores just how shattered Fanny's trust truly is. Kevin Henkes is sympathetic to the struggles of an aging, uninspired artist as well as the ache of a young girl who longs to believe in her father, but is afraid to take another leap of faith. When the source of their rift--Fanny's need for a dog--becomes the source of her father's inspiration, Henkes does not settle on a pat ending. Instead, he dares to enter the deeper complexities of the father-daughter relationship, exposing young adult readers to the emotional vulnerability of both parents and their children. School Library Journal Best Book, Publishers Weekly Best Book. (Ages 12 and older) --Gail Hudson

I LOVE this book!! Absolute must.:
I bought this book in the fourth grade. It sat on my bookshelf for four months until I read it over Christmas break. Oh. My. God. Most phenomenal book I have ever read. I just love it. It is so poignant, so heartbreakingly honest that is so lovely. I adore Henkes' style. You must read it. It is my favorite book in the world.

A heartfelt exploration of a father-daughter relationship:
Not being a big fan of "dog stories," I picked this book up from the library only because I admire Kevin Henkes' writing. I didn't even open it until the evening before it was due. As it turned out, I was hooked from the first paragraph and stayed up until midnight to read the whole thing. I was surprised how thoroughly the book brought me into into this 12-year-old girl's head and life, and how stirringly it depicted Fanny's strained relationship with her father. Every detail seemed perfect. The dogs in the story are terribly important to Fanny, and are important measures of her relationship with her father, but the problems in the relationship go deeper than that, and the new dog isn't a cure-all for the problems. I expected a simple story about a girl wanting a dog, but this book delivered much more. I had to return the book to the library, but I plan to buy a copy to keep.

Protecting Marie:
This is a compelling story of a very alert twelve-year-old, fanny. Fanny has always wanted a dog but her short tempered father has not allowed one. when he finally gives in he gets annoyed by the young puppy that ruins his concentration on his paintings. fanny is forced to give up this young dog. Fanny is furious. then a few months later her father gets another dog dinner. dinner is a three year old trained german shepard mix but fanny always catches her selfprotecting dinner, and wonders if she has will have to give this dog away too.

Protecting Marie:
Protecting Marie By: Kevin Henkes Reviewed by: Catherine Li Period: 6 This book talks about the life of a 12-year-old girl whose name is Fanny. Her farther is an artist and is very hard to live with. His business is not going too well and he gets upset easily, particularly when he is not satisfied with his work. Fanny has always loved dogs, one night when her dad was not able to show up for his 60-year-old birthday party he brought back a Labrador puppy. However, her dad needs concentration for his work, and when the puppy began breaking things and fooling around at the house, he sent the puppy away to someone. Fanny is heart broken and misdirected her anger, frustration, and emotional outrage. One night Fanny's father comes home with another dog named Dinner. But Fanny is afraid, she worries that Dinner would ruin her dad's concentration, and he would send her away too. Soon, her father began using Dinner as the main model in his painting. Fanny understood then, that her father would never send anything away that she loves. I found this book touching in some ways. This book is very straightforward and easy to understand. It isn't a very exciting book, but it has good writings and is a worthy book to read. Though, I think the title doesn't exactly match the meaning of the story. For instance, "Her mouth was a pouty circle, and short, slitty lines served as eyes and eyelashes." The sentences are short and simple to read. This book isn't very descriptive nor complex. The sentences are also short, but it makes perfect sense. "The petals were so dark they looked black at the innermost whorl." It is in a very good writing, especially in a drama type of book. I enjoyed reading this book. It wasn't the story that interested me, but the moral of this story. Even though the story doesn't completely mean the same meaning as the title, there was a important lesson about this doll (Marie) Fanny owned. The moral of this story is not to show emotional outrage to anyone in your family. Fanny never trusted her father, and she hid her belongings away from him. I recommend this book to everyone.

HDG Raniere Per.1:
In the book, Protecting Marie, Fanny is a girl who loves dogs. When she gets her first dog, she immediately falls in love with him. Unfortunately, the dog soon gets out of control! His ripping of the furniture and making a mess finally set Fanny's father to give him away. Ever since, Fanny has looked at her father in a different way. When he didn't show up for him own 50th birthday party, Fanny was convinced he wasn't returning. Her mother kept positive about the situation and decorated the house for Christmas with Fanny. To Fanny's surprise, when her father came home, he brought the best gift Fanny could ever hope for. As she came downstairs, she saw a face staring back at her, a new dog! Although Fanny tried not to, she fell in love with her dog, Dinner, in every way. If even Fanny's father loved Dinner, then why is Dinner missing when Fanny comes home from school? When Fanny finds a note saying her father brought Dinner to their friend who had been admiring the dog, Fanny could only think of one conclusion, Dinner is gone...or is he? I really enjoyed Protecting Marie!! It tells a story about a girl and her father, and the importance of friendship. This book keeps the reader wondering what will happen next. I was shocked when I found that Dinner was missing! The ending is very climatic and satisfying. I really liked this book and would definitely recommend this book to fathers, daughters, dog lovers, or anyone looking for a great realistic fiction story.