Jungle Dogs

PRESENTATION

Sixth grader Boy Regis runs an early morning paper route with his older brother, Damon, but is afraid of the wild dogs rumored to live in the dense Hawaii jungle that thrives in patches throughout the boys' hometown of Kailua. Damon can't stand such a sissy, and is always interfering in Boy's own feud with Gabriel, a boy in his class. Unfortunately, Gabriel has a brother even older and bigger than Damon, which causes problems. Boy must learn to conquer his fears not only of the dogs, but to stand up to Damon and his insecurities at school. As usual, Salisbury includes Hawaii's lush setting as a character in the novel, and his details of island life are accurate and well done. Highly recommended for boys in the middle grade set into early high school.