Book reviews are a great way for self-publishing authors to gain exposure. After all, how can someone buy your book if he or she doesn’t know it exists? Paired with other elements of your book promotion strategy, requesting reviews is a great way to get people talking about what you’ve written.
When we read good reviews, we definitely like to share them. It gives the author a few (permanent) moments of fame and allows us to let the community know about a great book. Here’s this week’s book review:
A Place to Call Home: Toby’s tale
by G. A. Whitmore
ISBN: 9781478700739
Synopsis*:
A Place to Call Home is the heartwarming and inspiring story of an abandoned white German shepherd puppy named Toby and his cross-country search for a forever home.Narrated in part by the animal characters in the book, the reader experiences Toby’s world through his eyes and those of the animals he meets on his journey.
Toby’s life begins on a farm where the carefree, happy days he has known come to an abrupt end when his breeder decides to “dispose” of him and his sister Tara because of the color of their fur. With the help of a kind farmhand, the two puppies escape unharmed.
After a tumultuous time during which Toby is shuffled from place to place, he is finally adopted, but he quickly realizes his new family has deep-seated issues that put him in danger, and what seemed like an ideal home, turns into another place he must escape from.
As Toby struggles to find a forever home where he can feel safe and secure, he experiences some painful losses, but he also makes new friends–friends who will help him to trust humans again and teach him the power of love.
Inspired by a true story, this middle grade/young adult novel can be enjoyed by dog lovers of all ages.
* courtesy of Amazon.com
Other Reviews
– reviewed by Michelle Seelye Drucker on Amazon
A Delightful Read with a Message
This was a thoroughly delightful and enjoyable read, one that moved me to both smiles and tears. Written for young adults, it balances well the scenes in which the dogs talk to one another and other more gritty and dramatic human scenes which explained the hardships this rescue dog went through and perhaps why. Even as it engages with Toby’s joys and travels, it sends an important message about the responsibilities of dog ownership and how they look to us for much more than food, water and shelter. Loving a dog is a responsibility and it’s a great joy. The organizations that save and the people who adopt, make a tremendous difference to many small creatures who hurt. The writer skillfully and engagingly sends that powerful and beautiful message with Toby’s story.. – LB Johnson – Author of “The Book of Barkley – Life and Love Through the Eyes of a Labrador Retriever”.
– reviewed by L. Paul on Amazon
The story of a dog family told from the canine point of view. Unique & Excellent!
This is a wonderful, sweet and engaging book about a dog finding a forever home and his relationship with a young boy and family. It is broken up into several sections, with the story of the pups mother and grandmother on a farm and how this pup ended up being part of a family. I particularly loved how all the perspectives are from each dog’s point of view, which is something I’ve never seen before. And my favorite section was the story of the grandmother dog and her adventures on the farm – I don’t want to give anything away so I’m not going g to say anything more about it, but it was captivating and charming and really a unique story.
This would be a great book for any animal lover. The themes focus around rescues and how even a dog that is abandoned deserves a chance to be loved and love in return. The descriptions from the dogs point of views make for an interesting, unique story and I highly recommend it.
– reviewed by jld2 on Amazon
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Self Publishing Advisor
Self Publishing Advisor 