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.

I recieved an arc of this title from NetGalley for an honest review. I love books written by author Gary Paulsen but really struggled with this book. The living conditions that this young boy was dealing with were heartbreaking and difficult to get through and the fact that his dad didn't get it was even more awkward.

"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 MacKidsBooks and NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

How to Train Your Dad is a middle grade novel in which twelve-year old Carl with the help of his friend Pooter attempt to “train” Carl’s dad to be more like a normal dad. Carl’s dad is eccentric and doesn’t really care what people think of him. This book did not really work for me. I felt like it had so much potential but I felt the story was disjointed and the constant use of parenthesis and run on sentences were annoying. I did not care about Carl at all, in fact, I disliked his selfishness so much it made me want to DNF on more than one occasion. I think there are some kids that would find it funny but it did not work for me unfortunately. 2.5 stars rounded up.

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.

How to Train Your Dad
by Gary Paulsen
Pub Date: Oct.5, 2021
Farrar, Straus and Giroux
From the legendary author of Hatchet, a laugh-out-loud eco-friendly adventure about a boy, his free-thinking dad, and the puppy-training pamphlet that turns their summer upside down.
It's Gary Paulsen! Buy it for the struggling intermediate reader. Boys love this author at our library.
We are even doing a GaryPaulsen Book club.
I liked this book and will recommend it.
5star

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.

This was different than many of the other Gary Paulsen books I have read in the past. Would be interesting to do an author study over the course of his career. It wasn;t the best book I have ead, and I wouldnot have kids read it as a mentor text with how the character rambles, but it was a good story.

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.

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.

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.

The book was great until the end. I feel like it was wrapped up too quickly otherwise it was a good story that a lot of kids could relate to.

I REALLY struggled with this one. As an elementary librarian, I typically love Gary Paulsen. I also love middle grade fiction but this one just didn't hit a homerun for me. I got lost in the text multiple times. The idea of the story was fun but it just wasn't believable enough to fly for a real middle school boy. Most boys that age that I know would tell their parent in no uncertain terms what they think of all the craziness!

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!!!

This book is oddly adorable. Carl and his friend Pooder (yes, that's what he goes by) set up an experiment to "reboot" Carl's dad who is a minimalist and an environmentalist. That means Carl is forced to live an environmentally friendly-minimimalist lifestyle. When it comes to wanting to meet a pretty girl, Peggy, that might create some problems for him!

So, following the advice from a dog training pamphlet, Carl begins the experiment and the results of his various trials are hilarious silly!

The best part of this is the simple and straightforward way it's written. It's like Carl is simply talking to you while you wait for the bus or for lunch to be delivered. This book is as non-threatening as they come. Publication date is October 5th, so pre-order it now!

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.

Having grown up in hand-me-downs from my sister, my cousins and other family friends, I immediately understood the emotions Carl went through. He, along with encouragement from his friend Pooder, try to navigate a puppy pamphlet for training his father out of his philosophy. So begins a summer filled with puppy training techniques tried upon his father. Paulsen creates hilarious pictures of both the failures and the small successes. It was very funny book that made me laugh out loud at some of the training attempts. Snatch this book up!

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.

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.

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.

<em>Thanks to Netgalley for making this book available for an honest review.</em>

Thank you to Macmillian Children's Publishing Group and NetGalley for the gifted copy of HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DAD.


The story was cute and hilarious. This story is about a 12 year old boy on the brink of becoming 13 years old who is embarrassed by his Father's way of doing things ;like dumpster diving and "shopping" at garage sales. His Dad once got him overalls, which sounded great, until the son discovered that it was really made for a girl, not a boy.

He finds a pamphlet about How to train your Puppy so he decides to try to Train his Dad to be more normal. Meanwhile, his best friend really hero worships his dad since the best friend's dad neglects his best friend.

This is a hilarious novel for middle graders.