Luna's voice was amazing, so dog-like, I find myself imagining my own dog's thoughts and words.

Luna's faithfulness to be an impeccable example of a Therapy Dogs Worldwide dog is well done as she struggles with situations not taught during her training.
The human characters were interesting and realistic. The title was perfect and satisfyingly revealed in the story

My only disappointment was that Luna did not get her TDW award at the end... I'm hoping that will happen in a sequel.

Tubb does a beautiful job of bringing to life the voice of Luna the Labrador who is the narrator of this story. A service dog who just wants to be there to help those in need but also enjoys her scheduled routines. When she first has her schedule upended and changed she is frustrated but enjoys feeling needed by the kids she is helping. Luna is steadfast in staying close to those that need her and the kids in her group are a group that is each invaluably a part of this story. When they struggle to open up about their own issues this story seemed to be stunted but as the group grows in trust and friendship so does the story and the part that Luna plays in it all.

*received for free from netgalley for honest review* can honestly say i have never read anything similar to this but it was a really cool and cute book!

This was a sweet story told from the point of view of a therapy dog. I liked that after two books about service dogs, the author turned to emotional support dogs. It's great to see positive representations of therapy in books for middle grade readers. I liked the descriptions of the kids from Luna's point of view; it made them feel like people and not diagnoses. Luna is a very good girl! 14/10 Would pet!

I could've sworn I had written a review or a draft for this because I can still remember what I *thought* I wrote! lol. I thought this book was charming but also a bit irresponsible. Where was the supervision?! These kids are traipsing alllll over town because they're worried about their friend but holy cow, no! I did love Luna so so much. This book reminded me of the W. Bruce Cameron books. It's fun being in a dog's head. lol

This is a middle grade book that I listen to from an e-audiobook I got from Netgalley, but the audiobook had synthetic voice. The audiobook that gets release later without have a synthetic voice, so I cannot say if I liked the narrator or not. I did not have a problem with the synthetic voice. The writing style of the book was not for me, but I did think it was cute that the point of view was from the dog "Luna". I just do not think the dogs point of view was done great at times. I was kindly provided an e-audiobook of this book by the publisher (Harper Audio) or author (Kristin O'Donnell) via NetGalley, so I can give honest review about how I feel about this book. I want to send a big Thank you to them for that.

127 Luna Howls at the Moon

Hey folks, daddy Steve here with yet more doggiebook talk. This time I listened to an odd audio version of a book by Kristin O’Donnell Tubb titled Luna Howld at the Moon.

I say odd version because audiobooks are kinda new to NetGalley, a platform offering free advance copies to reviewers in exchange of honest reviews. Yet, this audiobook version was not a real audiobook but a voice galley created with a synthetic voice only for early review use. And as they put it, it did not not reflect the audiobook, which do not use synthetic voices.

While I absolutely appreciated the idea because it I usually have two books going on at once, a read one (either paper or Kindle) and an audiobook one that I can listen to when I drive the car, this was far from optimal in making me appreciate the story. The voice was kinda robotic, most of the time always using the same tone which made it hard to distinguish the many characters and at other times simply distracted me from the story.

All that set aside, I adored the story as it was, about kids with specials needs and how Luna tried and tried to decipher what their needs were and how she could work with each of them. I could see that the author had done her research about that field. I own that other book mentioned inthe synopis, A Dog Like Daisy but have yet to read it. This book here has made me definitely want to read it and to keep the author on my shortlist of authors to look fo in the future.

On a closing note about the synthetic voice galley I’ll say that I listened to the Audible sample and the narrator for that version seems to do an amazing job of it, with lots of great intonation.

This book is listed as being for readers age 8-12 but as you know me by now, this never bother me. Might be a great book to read with your kids though!

Huge thanks to NetGalley who provided a free eBook advanced reader copy in exchange for my honest review. This is as honest as it gets...

#Malcolmstories #doggiebooks
#LunaHowlsattheMoon #NetGalley

Luna is a therapy dog. So when the children she meets with in group therapy decide to go off on their own to find the absent fourth member of their group, Luna has no choice but to go along. After all, she is responsible for their emotional well-being. Their adventures include two nasty teenage boys, a skinny but erudite stray cat, a well-meaning off-duty cop, and their having to rescue Luna when one of their ideas turns out to be more dangerous than they anticipated. This adventure enables all of them to bond as friends and learn to stand up for each other. Narrated from Luna’s perspective, she herself is frequently outside of her comfort zone. Nevertheless, she sticks it out so that she can watch over those she feels responsible for. While not always believable, Luna Howls at the Moon is a fun-to-read middle-grade novel. For those who love dogs!

Luna is a therapy dog. Being a fan of books told from the point of view of dogs (yeah, that is a thing), I was really looking forward to this one. There are two things I consider when I think about a book like this: 1. Will this appeal to the intended audience? 2. This is a computerized voice, so it will need my own voice to make it work.

In response to the first, I think it will. I actually think this would appeal to a subset of upper elementary kids. Those who have experience with trauma will find a lot to relate to in the book the most. Other kids will also enjoy it. Books with animals are always popular. Especially dogs! Will it be for everyone? Probably not. Few books are really loved by everyone. I could grab this off of a shelf and hand it to kids that definitely would.

As for number 2…this one is hard to get past. You have to concentrate. I know the real narrator will bring a lot more to it. I always listen to books like this slightly faster than the speed intended and I find it helps make it sound a lot less robotic.

Luna’s voice is written in a very awkward way. I know she is a dog, but it is hard to get into the story the way that she tells it. It may be unfair, but I kept comparing the way it was written to two of my favorite dog-centered series. Both published under the name Spencer Quinn, the voice of the dog is just much more engaging. And one of them is written for the same age group as this one. I wish this one had a little more of the flow and humor I know can be in a book told by a dog! Still, I would keep this on a shelf and I would choose students I truly believe would enjoy it and relate.

I just have to say that I adored this book! Told from the perspective of a therapy dog named Luna, the reader gets to see the world through a different set of eyes.

Luna spends her days working with her owner as a therapy dog to children with various reasons for needing therapy. One child is full of anger, another is a waterfall, one is a rock and another is full of fear. Luna's job is to provide comfort and stability for each child in their own journey. But when one child goes missing, Luna and the others go on the adventure of a lifetime to try to find out what happened.

The author had such an amazing way of describing everything through the dog's eyes. Vivid descriptions of both emotions and places, I could really feel everything the characters experienced. The plot was also great in that it captured many different obstacles and successes as well as the importance of not only human friendships and bonds but human/animal friendships and bonds as well.

Synopsis:
Luna Howls At The Moon by Kristin O'Donnell Tubb is a standalone middle-grade novel following Luna, a labrador therapy dog, who just wants to help her child clients. The children are brought together for a group therapy session, but one day, one of the kids goes missing. Luna and the other children go on a wild quest in search of the missing boy and each of the kids undergo some self-discovery along the way.

Review:
Luna Howls At the Moon was a really unique and adorable middle-grade story. I don't usually love reading books that have animals as main characters but it somehow seemed to work in this story. There is definitely not enough mental health and aneurotypical representation in fiction books as it is, so I definitely appreciated this aspect of the novel even though I didn't absolutely love how it was executed.

This story was definitely a character-based story that focused largely on the characters' internal and external struggles. I really appreciated the internal struggle that Luna faces throughout the novel between her duty as a therapy dog in training and joining the children on their adventure, to protect them. Luna is an extremely loyal dog and the children definitely did not appreciate, or at points, even acknowledge her presence at the beginning of the story. It was understandable why they would ignore Luna, but that didn't help me from feeling bad for her.

Learning about each of the children's backstories and trauma throughout the book really helped me develop empathy for previously unlikeable and slightly irritating characters. It is pretty clear that I was not the target audience for this story and this book could definitely help younger readers especially as they try to navigate complex emotions for the first time, just like the young characters in this story.

The synthetic voice used for this audiobook did not detract from my enjoyment or appreciation of the novel. This is the second netgalley audiobook ARC I have read that uses this type of synthetic voice and while it is a little odd at first, I quickly got used to the vocal sounds. I just wanted to point out that the synthetic tones used for this audiobook are not representative of the actual audiobook listening experience. The final audiobook will have a narrator performing the book creating a better listening experience.

Overall, I think this is a great book for younger readers who fit the target middle age category. However, I don't think it is either important or that useful to older readers. The book definitely has its issues with the way that the parents handle their children's emotional trauma and the children were unlikeable (which was to be expected) but also aggravating at points. The main character, Luna, the labrador, really shines in this book. This is a great starting point for younger readers who are first navigating the world of complex emotions and I definitely appreciated the inclusion of a therapy dog. While the mental health representation wasn't amazing in this book, it definitely opens the conversation to breaking the stigma surrounding therapy dogs. Thanks to this book, has given me an interest in learning more about service and therapy dogs in fiction and real life.

Rating: 3/5 stars
Author: Kristin O'Donnell Tubb
Genre: Middle Grade, Adventure

This was a nice, quick read. I wasn't very invested in the story to be fair, but I enjoyed Luna's perspective and especially her interactions with the other characters. My favorite interaction was definitely between Luna and the cat!
I think this could become a nice book for middle graders to learn about the importance of service dogs, while still reading an entertaining story!

This is the story of Luna the dog who wanted to be a therapy dog and the book is told from her point of view as she tries to help a group of kids with different needs as they journey across Houston, Texas. I loved how this book addresses the different feelings and instincts dogs go through when they are trying to do their best. I definitely recommend this book to all therapy dog owners and dog lovers. Thanks to #Netgalley for the early review copy.

I almost didn't pick up this ARC because the title is just not really doing it for me. I'm so glad I did, though. What an absolutely sweet story! Luna is a therapy dog who can't quite get her 50-visit pin. She knows she needs to do her duty and care for her clients, but it's not always easy to know what's right. She works with four kids: a shadow, a knot, a waterfall, and a rock, and when their normal routine is upset by the rock's absence, Luna and the three remaining kids set off on an adventure that tests the limits of what they know they can do.
I was absolutely captivated from the first chapter. Kristin O'Donnell Tubb has a really catching writing style that is gripping and emotional and full of beautiful pictures. Though the story is told from the eyes of a dog, it was impossible not to feel the myriad emotions of each kid throughout the adventure. With this brilliant imagery, I found myself grinning, shivering, crying and sighing with relief over and over at each new obstacle. Not only is this book a brilliant picture of empathy, but it rings with a truth about the difficulties therapy dogs face in a world almost determined to misunderstand them, as well as some of the pressures on kids that would make many adults buckle. I'm thrilled that this book exists, and I can't wait to discover more of this author's work. This Luna will definitely become a fixture in my classroom for all my middle-grade kiddos who look for truth and enjoy understanding.

Luna is a therapy dog that usually helps during individual therapy sessions with her owner. This time it is a group therapy session that turns into an adventurous quest with three teens. Told from Luna's point of view, each teen has different emotions that challenge them. Luna is a sympathetic narrator who doesn't judge.

I listened to nearly 40% of this (robot) audio recording I got free from Netgalley.
I think it’s an important book that addresses mental illness in children - and in a non-threatening, dog distracting way.
Unfortunately this book didn’t have much of a chance with me. I don’t like middle grade and anthropomorphism isn’t usually my cup of hot chocolate. I really couldn’t get into the story.
It took too long for me to get started and then the plot was unclear - they’re running from parents to visit a kid they met one time?? And that narrator cat, although original, came across (to me as an author anyway) as pretentious and self-important. Kids may like it - but I doubt it. It was a non-sequitur, creative-writing lecture that pulled (this) reader out of the narrative.
I think if the cat had been more manic and much less accurate with its literary commentary it would’ve been hilarious and palatable.
Even as is, I think kids will enjoy the empowering story—especially kids that love animals. I feel bad giving this book 2 stars but for me personally it probably should’ve been one.

Above all, this is a sweet book. Luna is a therapy dog who wants nothing more than to take care of her humans, even if it makes her question her training when she follows a group of children escaping during a group therapy session. As is common for middle grade books, there are some over simplistic parts, especially regarding mental illness. The author does attempt to balance this with going back to the structured program the children are in. This book will likely keep the attention of middle-grade animal-lovers and those looking for a good friendship story.

This is a sweet novel that I can see many young readers loving. It talks about therapy animals and gets into the differences between types of service animals. I love the way Luna describes her world, it is very dog-like. This is a solid series that I will be recommending to my animal loving readers.

🐶 🌝 Luna Howls at the Moon by Kristin O’Donnell Tubb 🌝 🐶
________________________________________________

Luna has always wanted to be a therapy dog at Therapy Dogs Worldwide. Now she’s a whisker away from reaching her fifty-visit pin that will make it official. But when her “clients”—the children who visit her—are put into a therapy group, Luna’s routine is upended.

Like the moon, Luna shows different faces at different times. And her clients each have different needs—Beatrice is tangled in knots of anger, Caleb rushes like a waterfall, Amelia carries fear heavy like a shadow, and Hector is quiet as a rock. To comfort the kids, Luna can be what they need her to be, but can she be everything to them all at once?

When Hector doesn’t show up to a session one day, the kids set off on an unexpected quest to find him. Luna joins to keep them safe, and they must work together to almost learn the truth.
_______________________________________________

I didn’t know what to expect going into this book. I’ve never heard it mentioned or talked about so I decided to give it a try. Normally I tend to stay away from middle grade and usually like to read young adult. This story follows a Labrador therapy dog who accompanies her therapy kids. I honestly really liked how this was told. I listened to the audiobook and it was quite great. I really did enjoy how this story was told and it really was such a meaningful read.

Like I’ve mentioned, I’ve never heard this so I don’t know what to expect. It was honestly such a cute and adorable story. I really do think many people will enjoy this story and where it went. However, I don’t personally think it was for me. It honestly was so unique and different. Luna was such an interesting dog and I loved hearing everything about her. I really enjoyed that it was told from a dog’s point of view, how unique. Although I don’t think I would read this again, I think the story and meaning behind it will always stay with me. I really did enjoy the impactful experience. So glad I listened/read this.

Seriously the most unique thing ever. Luna was so fun and enjoyable to follow along with through Texas. Great premise and characters. Overall, an amazing experience, even if I didn’t really think it was for me.
______________________________________________

Rating: 3/5 ⭐️
______________________________________________

**I received an ARC via audiobook so thank you NetGalley, Harper Audio, and Kristin O’Donnell Tubb.**

This is another home run for Kristin O'Donnell Tubb. Luna's voice in the role of therapy dog is perfect and the children she is helping are believable, have realistic problems, and the book is well written overall . Highly Recommend. Even the digitized narration was not difficult to listen to; the final product is going to be awesome.
This book will appeal to all prior readers of A Dog Like Daisy and Zeus; Kristin's voice in writing about dogs with jobs is fantastic.