Title: The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time
Author: Mark Haddon
ISBN: 978-0-099-45676-6
Recommended Grade Level of Reader: 7th and Up
Publisher: Red Fox
Media Type: Book
Copyright: 2004
Genre: Fiction
Reader's Annotation: Wellington has been brutally murdered and Christopher is about to uncover the identity of the ruthless dog killer.
Plot Summary: The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time centers on the main character’s quest to uncover the individual responsible for killing his neighbor’s dog. Christopher, the male protagonist, finds the dog lifeless and takes on the responsibility of locating the murderer in order to remove the cloud of suspicion over his head. While trying to solve the mystery, he uncovers information about his mother who he previously thought was dead. After Christopher’s father confesses to killing Wellington the dog, Christopher sets out on a new adventure to find his mother. The reader sees how his life is affected by the dog incident as well as his expedition to reunite with his mother.
Evaluation: (A) This is a truly unique story with a very clever premise. Additionally, it was a brilliant choice to make the main character autistic. Christopher's outlook provides for a refreshingly innocent perspective on life. He takes things very literally and with that in conjunction with his innocence the story is unsuspectingly funny.
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