Rotten

by Michael Northrop

[elvinagb]

When 16 year old JD returns home after spending the summer up-state “visiting his aunt” he finds his mother has taken in another young boy in trouble. Only this boy has four legs, Jon-Jon is a very large, slobbery and frightened Rottweiler. As JD tries to re-enter his life and connect with friends he also begins to develop a relationship with the renamed JR, short for Johnny Rotten. As their trust of each other grows, JD and his friends still seem wary of each other and JD is still refusing to tell them the truth of how he spent his summer.
Then a supposed accident that leaves one of JD’s friends with a nasty dog bite leaves JD fighting to save the life of his newest friend, JR.
I was initially drawn to this book because of its amazing cover (truly a cover can sell a book) but also having just read Michael’s book Trapped, which I loved and you should read, had me hoping I could get my paws on this book as soon as possible. I knew it would not be an easy read; I have trouble with any stories that involve animals in trouble.
JD’s relationship with his mother is interesting. She seemed happy to have him home and let him get back to his life without a lot of interference which lead me to believe what had happened to send him away from home wasn’t too bad even though he seemed to not want to let his friends know what had really happened or where he had gone. His friends also seemed to be stuck where he had left them, hanging out and trying to score some beer, whereas he seems to have spend his summer doing some growing up. It makes the story more interesting that we see the story through JD’s eyes and are left to wonder what is really happening with JD’s mom and with his friends. I wonder what it is really like at Mars’ home and what Aaron’s story is.
This is one I will want to keep on my shelf and share and is one that anyone who has had a dog will love.