Webster: Tale of an Outlaw

Gr 4–6—Webster the dog is done with humans. He's had three homes so far, and in all of them he's been too big, too clumsy, or just too bad to stay. By the time he ends up at Green Meadows Farm, an animal rescue shelter, he figures he doesn't need anyone—no friends of any kind and no help. He's going to escape the shelter and be a loner. The other dogs and cats don't believe Webster is as tough as he pretends to be and are determined to break down the walls he's built around himself. When Webster does get the chance to strike out on his own and be the bad dog he's been told he is, he finds he has a large heart and everything is easier when someone cares about you. What has the potential to be an overwhelmingly sad tale of animal neglect and abuse is instead told with humor and sympathy. Readers will long to adopt a shelter animal just like the ones they meet in the pages of White's book.