Dogs bring out the best in us

Steven drives for a living. He drives people to airports and to other designations. He lives in a small cottage with his dog Oliver. One day he takes Oliver with him and when he stops for takeout Oliver is stolen from his car.

Steven is heartbroken and with the help of his sisters he searches for his dog. He searches for 7 days for Oliver. Steven is depressed. He thinks he has lost Oliver for good. Oliver is his whole life.

What lesson Stephen learns is that he is not alone, people care for him. His family, his friends, and strangers from the neighborhood and the internet.

Everyone helps him hunt for Oliver and it is a happy ending when Oliver is found. I love how there are little boxes that provide what Oliver is thinking, and other small boxes that tell Oliver’s story what he likes and about his dad Stee.

I think any young person would love this story of Stephen and his lost dog Oliver. I read it because I thought my great grand children would like it and I am always looking for new books for them. I have to admit that I was captivated by this cute story about a missing go named Oliver.

Thanks to Steven J. Carino, Thomas Nelson Children’s, and NetGalley for allowing me to read a copy in return for an honest review.

This would be a wonderful read aloud for a classroom read. The best part is that throughout, Oliver the dog says how he feels with what is going on around him. Again, this would be a great classroom read or just to have in your classroom library!!!

Oliver is a heartbreaking story that slowly puts your heart back together as you read on. Steven’s dog Oliver is stolen from his car when he was out picking up food. He thinks his best friend is gone forever but his sisters and friends help him begin the search. Soon, the whole town helps out with making sure Oliver is found. The community joins together, making Steve realize a lot about himself and others.

The community coming together for Oliver was so wholesome and Oliver himself is a wonderful dog. He sounds like SUCH a good boy. I’m so glad that he was reunited with Steven. (Not a spoiler, it says so in the synopsis that they find him). I also think that if knowing he wasn’t found, I’m not sure I would be able to read this because I was STRESSED waiting for them to find each other.

I can’t imagine losing your dog that way, for a whole week, and not knowing what happened to them. This is a lovely book for all ages, perfect for any dog lover. I love how much our author loved dogs and the passion he feels for them because I could relate. Your heart breaks for him and in my case, a tear may be shed. Plus, look how adorable he is.

Thank you so much to Netgalley, Thomas Nelson publishing, and specifically Lewis for an advanced copy of this book!

"All we know for sure was that as long as we were together, nothing could really hurt us. Together, we would always - always - be okay."

I would like to thank Thomas Nelson Children's for sending me a copy of this book over at Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I've always been a huge dog lover with my 6 dogs, so I've always had a huge heart for books featuring dogs. With the adorable puppy on the cover, I was more than excited to get into this book, knowing fully well that I would laugh and cry very hard.

This is a true life story about the author's experience of having his dog and best friend, Oliver, stolen and away from him for an entire week. As a dog owner myself, I know the experience of how much dogs means in a person's life, especially if you developed a special and unique bond with them. And also having the same experience of looking for a missing pet, I totally understand the thoughts and sentiments the author had in this venture, since losing a pet is always going to be a pet owner's worst nightmare. It was both a very endearing and very sad story for any pet owner, because the author really poured his heart and soul into writing the terrible journey of looking for Oliver.

I really enjoyed how this book was written for young readers, but it's definitely still applicable to be read by adults. It was almost like written like as a personal diary, so it was nice to have every single detail not left out. Plus, it also had these adorable little snippets from Oliver's point of view and mini Oliver stories inserted in between chapters that made it very appealing to any reader. Those snippets made me smile a lot because it gave Oliver such a character.

While I'm not really into the religious aspects surrounding this story, I actually really liked the themes of love, hope, friendship, and family that was very prevalent in this story. I had to admire the author for putting out his thoughts like that even in the most difficult time for him. I love how strangers he had never met gave him a new perspective in his life as they helped him look for Oliver. This was obviously a book that was so much more than looking for a missing dog, and I really enjoyed it.

This book just really made me want to hug my dogs very tightly afterwards and made me even more grateful to have them with me. I'm definitely going to recommend this book to all people (even if they're not pet owners) because of the immense amount of joy it just gave me. I also need a physical copy of this book to add to my dog book collection.

I'm so happy that Steven and Oliver are with each other again!

Hey folks, daddy Steve here with another report on a doggiebook. This time it’s one for the young dog lovers out there, Oliver for Young Readers by Steven J. Carino and Alex Tresniowski. It’s a non fiction book.

I’m not spoiling much by revealing the end of this book. Yes, a little dog, Oliver, was stolen, but in the end he comes back home safe. This book is about all it took to get Oliver back in the loving arms of his furdaddy Steven. Just wanted to make this clear cause otherwise it would have made for a dreary read.

This is the young readers version but there is also a regular version, I’ve included both cover here. I loved reading the kid version nonetheless. It’s not dumbed down in the least and I thought it was very well put together. It’s got lots of religious mentions and Steven Carino is a very religious person himself. Overall it is a very uplifting book, very good for kids!

Another recommended read for me.

#Malcolmstories #doggiebooks
#NetGalley #OliverforYoungReaders

Both myself and my children really enjoyed this real. It was a lovely story and I can’t wait to read it to my class when we return to school.

When I first started this book…I was a little hesitant. I am such a huge dog lover and the thought of losing one of my dogs could absolutely send me over the edge. And, I had no intention of being traumatized because of Oliver. But there is so much more to this story.

The good feeling the reader gets from this book is a true joy! As a matter of fact…I may reread this one soon. Sometimes everyone needs to be reminded about the kindness of strangers.

I enjoyed so much about this read..but especially the characters. And of course Oliver! What a charming little guy!

Need a feel good book…this is it! Grab your copy today!

I received this novel from the publisher for a honest review.

Oliver (for Young Readers) // by Steven J. Carino and Alex Tresniowski

Ever since naming my book blog after my German Shepherd Ivy, I have regularly been receiving requests to read and review books about dogs. And I have to be honest: I hardly ever am able to stop myself from accepting. When I was contacted about Oliver for Young Readers, I only had to take one quick look at Oliver's face on the cover and I was head over heels in love with the little rascal. The premise for this book is both heartbreaking as well as heart-warming, promising us a story full of tears, adventure, and love.

I wasn't quite sure at the beginning which age range books "for young readers" aim for but after a closer look at the cover, I realized that it is for middle-grade readers, age 8 to 12. I don't often read middle-grade books, in fact, I think this is only maybe the third or fourth in a very long time. While this isn't a genre I will seek out regularly, I still really enjoyed this book a lot nonetheless. The format reminds me of a diary for most of the book and it was cute how Oliver's thoughts were sprinkled throughout as well (I know, I know, there isn't a sure way to know what dogs think but this IS aimed at young readers after all). I now even find myself referring to a Steve at work as Stee. Hah. We also get to hear a little bit about Steve's childhood and random stories about Oliver, which makes this book feel even more personal. One of my favorite parts though were the picture of Oliver and his friends in the second half of the book. I always love it when we get to see the characters in a book up close with their friends.

I don't know how the adult version of the book differs from this one but I did feel that sometimes this one felt a little bit too... over the top maybe? I am not a dramatic person myself in general so I can be a bit iffy about that in my books but then again, I am extremely attached to my own pup and probably would find myself acting exactly the same way in that situation as well. So take my opinion on that with a grain of salt. It is impossible to know how you yourself would act in a specific situation until it actually happens to you and I sure hope that will never happen. My heart goes out to Stee and Oliver for having to go through that but I am so glad he was able to see the positive in the situation. This book really teaches us to appreciate our four-legged companions while they are with us and that community, compassion, forgiveness, and love can move a mountain. This is an excellent book for your children to read alone or you to read and discuss all the themes together.

Warning: Steve is Christian and takes his beliefs seriously in his day-to-day life. You will see him talk about them several times throughout this book. I know some readers like to avoid religion in books so I wanted to throw that out there but I personally am not Christian myself but still enjoyed the book a lot nonetheless.

Thank you to the authors, publisher, and NetGalley for providing me with a free copy in exchange for an honest review.

I received an advanced copy of this book from the publisher through netgalley in exchange for an honest review. This book is well written. It will make you cry. I highly recommend this book to anyone and everyone. This book is set in New York. I enjoyed the family relationships within this book. The relationship between man and man's best friend is great. This book is in stores now for $16.99 (USD).