Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC. Great start for my ARC Journey. There were some contradictions to the story. I know it was the younger readers out there, but I think the editor should have taken one more glance.

I really enjoyed this book. It was well-written and engaging. I don’t have much negative feedback to give at all. It was overall a very good book that I would recommend to others.

🐕Diesel is a star😍

What an imaginative tale of a girl at an awkward stage in her adolescence and her best pal, an Australian cattle dog named Diesel. Somehow they get a do-over week to avoid tragedy and the breakup of Naomi's family. Naomi can understand what Diesel is thinking and his joy in every day is both humorous and inspiring.

Some favorite scenes that made me laugh out loud include recovery after a special skunk encounter and meatballs at the dinner table. But his reactions in all situations were entertaining.

Naomi is quite a serious young girl, intimidated by the in-crowd from school, worried about the family finances and her parents' recent separation, and devastated by the death of her faithful pet. This is a very relatable character with real life issues who I think kids will identify with.

A really entertaining read with some important life issues.

Thanks to Dundurn Press and NetGalley for sharing a complimentary advance copy of the book; this is my voluntary and honest opinion.

A sweet and poignant story, it made me cry and moved me. I loved Diesel and loved his advice and his personality.
The plot flows and kept me turning pages.
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine

What the Dog Knows was such an interesting novel. It took me a while after I finished it to get all my thoughts together. The beginning didn't capture me and I was honestly about to DNF until I got to the second half and I was fully committed. I always get nervous reading books on animals because I am a huge crier and I can't take animals dying in movies or books, but this was so well written and really kept me engaged and connect.

I will be recommending this to my fellow book lovers!
Thank you for allowing me to read and review this novel honestly!

4.5★s
What The Dog Knows is a novel for tweens by award-winning Canadian author, Sylvia McNicoll. It’s no exaggeration to say that Naomi Bello is having her worst ever summer. First off, her dad loses his job. Then her parents break up and mom needs to get a job to cover the rent. That means Naomi has to sit her baby cousin, Luanne, missing out on her swim classes. Then her Australian cattle dog, Diesel is hit by a little red Smart Car and dies. A week later, on July 1st, Canada Day, Naomi drowns.

She’s quite surprised, therefore, to come to, in the back yard, with a lump on her head, on June 25th, the day Diesel that died. Even more amazing is that Diesel is there, with her, alive and she can hear what he’s thinking. The funky old red digital watch her dad gave her, though, says 4.30pm, THU July 1st, the exact moment she died, and has water droplets inside. And no matter how often she sets the right time, it reverts back to that.

Naomi wonders if it’s all some super-vivid hallucination, but if it isn’t, she’s determined to keep Diesel out of the path of that little Smart Car. And maybe try to get her parents back together. If the watch is any indication, and Diesel says it is, she has a week to do it. It seems that Diesel is on a mission too, to protect all of his pack.

While Naomi is a little wary, she reluctantly teams up with her neighbour and classmate, Morgan Hanson, whose parents are also split, and whose dog died. She seems to want to help Naomi to be more popular with the cool girls, and a certain Simon, and she’s good with Diesel (who insists she be part of their pack), helping to train him so he won’t go running in front of cars. But Naomi wonders if Morgan has her own agenda.

Diesel is definitely the star of this novel: his advice for Naomi is sound, and his reactions and interpretations are laugh-out-loud funny. He’s so perceptive, that Naomi eventually asks herself “Has he always understood everything? Is it just me who hasn’t listened to him?”

McNicoll includes lessons about friendship and loyalty, about love and trust and death, at just the right level for this age group. While aimed at tweens, this is a novel that adults of any age will also find very entertaining. Recommended!
This unbiased review is from an uncorrected proof copy provided by NetGalley and Dundurn Press

This was such a cute book. It brought back so many memories of reading Sylvia McNicoll’s books as a kid. I loved her then and I apparently still love her now. I’m so glad that the middle grade age still has her and her dog stories to rely on. I loved the magical realist element of Diesel speaking to Naomi and helping her through some difficult coming of age moments in her life. I wish we all had a Diesel in our lives.

A beautiful story of friendship and hope. My 9 year old boy and I thoroughly enjoyed reading "What the Dog Knows."

It's a story about Naomi and her dog Diesel, who returns from the afterlife on a mission to save her. It deals with friendships, between people, dogs, parents and couples, as well as the anxiety of separation of parents for a child and the subject of death. It covers a lot of angles and just works really well.

The language in the book might be a bit difficult for a young child to read themselves, but I read it to my son and he loved it, despite there being a couple of really sad bits.

My son fell in love with Diesel and loved how Naomi could communicate with him. He would love that communication with our Golden Retriever!

A lovely book, and a really good read. Thank you to Netgalley and Dundurn Press for a copy in exchange for an honest review.

I would not say this is a children’s book. It covers difficult topics, and is in places a very difficult read. Naomi, I would say, suffers from anxiety problems. She is also trying to deal with her parent’s separation, preparing for high school and working out if her one friend is actually a friend.
When Naomi and the dog first died, then came back to life, I really struggled with the book. I didn’t realise it was going to turn into something sci-fi , with the dog coming back to life to save her. I did not enjoy the watch aspect and had to persist with the book. In the end I was glad I stuck with it. I didn’t see the end coming, with the dad’s school bus driver training playing such an important part. There were questions I would have liked answering, such as what really happened with Naomi’s mom and the vet when the dog first died.

This book made me tear up a few times. To be honest, I wasn't expecting this story to turn out the way it did.

The writing in this book starts slow and in a warm tone. However, it picks up really fast and it leaves you surprised with the story throughout until the end of the book.

I don't wanna reveam too much, but let me just say that the ending was a very satisfying one.

"What the Dog Knows" is a really cute and fun childrens fiction book. It's a short childrens book that follows Naomi and her dog, Diesel.

After Diesel was run over by a car, Naomi is hit with grief and guilt over it, but after an accident while out swimming, Naomi wakes up at home and Diesel is sitting next to her. However, something's not right. She can hear Diesel's thoughts in her head.

The writing was really nice, but from someone who's first language isn't English, I feel like the language in this book might be a bit to difficult for a child to understand.

I would definately recommend this book to my mom, who's a teacher. I think this book would be a really fun read and I think that the children would love the story. However, I feel like the author could have chosen a different reason for this happening instead of both of the characters dying.

This book is about Naomi who has just recently lost her dog—but can Diesel come back?

What the dog knows felt like the show Russian doll only for kids and it was an okay book. Naomi gets a chance to make things right, and maybe her dog gets to live?

As an animal lover, I thought this would be the perfect book for me, but it didn’t quite catch my attention, but at the same time, I’m not the target audience for this book. So I’m going to admit I mostly skimmed through this. It does get a solid 3.2/5 stars.. But I’d recommend this to young readers, I’d say from between 10-12+, and animal lovers.

Happy reading!♥️

Not what I expected. I thought I was reaching for children fiction: yet it is so long and over written. Could not get myself to enjoy it, I am really sorry. Maybe if my expectations were different...

This was a great read. I got it for my son not realizing it was as long as it was - he is 7 - so I read it myself. It's interesting and engaging and fun despite some of the heaviness of the situation.

Naomi ’s dog Diesel died. Dad lost his job. Mom and Dad split up. The family is broke. Naomi is now stuck babysitting when she planned to take swimming lessons. Her friend convinces her to jump off a dock and on July 1st, when she drowns, destiny shifts. She awakes a week earlier to Diesel talking to her and wants to show her how to fix things. It’s a lovely story about how messy family life can be and the beautiful friendship between Naomi and her four legged friend. You will love this story. Honestly anything that involves dogs, I love it.

It is summer and Naomi will be entering high school in the autumn. It should be an exciting time except, her dad recently lost his job, her folks have split up and her beloved dog, Diesel was killed in a hit and run. She is babysitting her sweet niece Luanne and putting aside every penny for a university as she knows her folks cannot help her financially. Naomi has a nonfriend/friend Morgan in her neighborhood, but Naomi doesn't really trust her or think Morgan likes her. Still, Naomi goes to the lake with Morgan for a free ice cream and the chance to see a boy she likes. Unfortunately, Naomi lets herself be dared into jumping off the dock and drowns. Or does she? Naomi wakes up in her backyard with a living Diesel right by her side. Naomi can now hear Diesel's thoughts in her head and Diesel tells her they have a second chance at life and it is now nearly a week before her drowning. Naomi learns and grows in the days that follow and does all she can to bring her family together and keep Diesel alive and Diesel tries to protect his "pack." This is a thoughtful story, and the friendship becomes real between Naomi and Morgan as they discover more about each other. Naomi is a sympathetic character and Diesel is delightful and readers will want them both to find a way out of their predicament. Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

Great feel good coming to age book the characters and the storyline in this book are great and the dog is amazing.

A fun and thoughtful summer read for middle grades. Naomi is a very relatable character and narrator, and Morgan somehow manages to be the universal friend everyone needs. A great story and concept, could have been a little more fleshed out at the end (although that too could be part of the story itself, not just how it is told). Will appeal to kids who like a little magic in their reality without diving into the other-worldly, and definitely to dog lovers.

What The Dog Knows is a quick read YA story about a girl, her dog, and second chances. Naomi feels as though she doesn't fit in and with the help of her dog who she can now understand through their thoughts she is able to gain the confidence she needs and build her "pack" as her dog Diesel would put it. This is a heartwarming story that shows loss, love and how we can overcome anything by sticking together.

It may have just not been the right age range (6 and 3) but my kids could not engage well with this story. It may be something we try in the future but for now the concepts are not for my audience. I appreciate the early copy to review!