Review: "A Great Story for Young Adults"
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 10 3, 2013
I truly enjoyed reading this short story about introducing teens to charitable activities during time away from school.  Such is 15-year old Hannah, starting her summer vacation with nothing to look forward to like other kids.  It was 93 days ... long days ... before the chaotic business of going back to school.  Her mom, Coco, encourages her to get outside and try to have some fun, maybe find a job.  At the local supermarket, Hannah scanned the advertisements for jobs.  She finds an old, tattered flyer from the local animal shelter looking for volunteers.  She took the flyer and rides her bicycle to the Mapleton Animal Rescue Center.  She is a little hesitant as her dream career was being a scientist; animals really were not her thing.  Yes, they still needed volunteers and she was to put in a four-hour shift the next day.  Her first chore was to learn how to bathe dogs.  She started with the smaller feistier dogs thinking they'd be easier to handle, but they weren't.  The last dog she bathed was a large dog with big brown sad eyes who refused to move off the floor.  So she picks him up and carries him to the tub where the dog just sits in the water, hardly blinking.  Speaking aloud, she wonders what kind of life the dog has had.  An attractive young man, about her own age, replies to her question, "His name is Basil and he's been here for three months."  Harry continues the chat by letting her know that all new volunteers start out by washing the dogs, then leaves her to continue her clean-up chores.  The next day was a fun day taking all the dogs out to the fenced area of green grass where they can romp and play.  She takes Basil out, but Basil doesn't play.  He just lays on the grass.  Hannah soon realizes that Basil is not looking for a new home, he's looking for he old home.  So, Hannah and Harry set out a goal to try to find Basil's home.  Hannah will also have much more to discover during her summer break.  This is a wonderful story which reflects good deeds by great teens who take on responsibilities within their community.  The writing quality is superb, characters are captivating, the story line is very engaging.  This is a story all teens will enjoy, and also adults.