A laugh-out-loud, hilarious account of a coming-of-age boy’s attempts to train his off-the-grid, living-green dad, to make him more appealing to a certain girl. With his faithful, wise sidekick Pooder giving advice, and his rescue pitbull to contend with, Carl learns a lot along the way... which may or may not be what he wanted ...
I’d highly recommend this book!

Poor Carl. He just wants to fit in, but his dad's eccentricities make that impossible. His dad considers them rich, as they have everything they need, but in reality, they have little money. They barter for their belongings, make do with repairing used items, and dumpster dive for the rest. While his dad loves and believes in this life, and loves Carl, it is not what Carl wants. Therefore, he devises a plan to try and train his dad to change his ways. As a narrator, Carl's dry wit comes through as he recounts all of the mishaps that he goes through over the summer. As the adventures unfold, the reader falls in love with Carl and his dad, and sees the strong bond between them despite their eccentricities and differences. While most of us would not want to live like this, it does make you pause and think about how often we buy things new instead of using and fixing what we already have.

How to Train Your Dad is a tail wagging tale. There comes a time in every middle schooler's life when they are embarrassed by their parents. This is especially true for 12 year old Carl who's dad thinks nothing of dumpster diving, garage sale shopping, and bartering instead of buying. When Carl finds a pamphlet for puppy training, he decides to use the techniques to try and rid his dad of some of his more embarrassing behaviors. Hilarious adventures soon commence. Similar to Paulsen's Masters of Disaster, this book had me literally laughing out loud. Although more known for his adventure stories, Paulsen is a master of the comedy genre as well. A great read for any middle grader as well as their parents.

It’s just Carl and his quirky dad who live an off-the-grid existence, and Carl is tired of dumpster diving, borrowing WiFi, an old truck, and pigs and chickens. He feels like he doesn’t fit in and wants to change his dad’s approach to living. His best friend, Pooder, has a great imagination and is always offering advice through long winded speeches pretending he’s someone else and using big words. Carl finds a puppy training pamphlet in dog food one day and decides to try some of the suggestions on his dad: positive reinforcement, ignore bad behavior, use distractions and treats, and be persistent and patient Can any of these work though on his dad?