Review: A Dog Named Christmas (A Dog Named Christmas #1) by Greg Kincaid

Tuesday, January 5, 2016

 
Title: A Dog Named Christmas 
 
Series: A Dog Named Christmas #1
 
Author: Greg Kincaid
 
Genre: Family, Holiday Fiction
 
Published Date: November 4th 2008 by Doubleday Religion
 
Format: Hardcover
 
Source: Library
 
Rating:
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
In this heartwarming novel, author Greg Kincaid tells the tender story of how one very special dog changed the lives of his adoptive family—and an entire town—forever.

“Todd, they always want you to adopt a dog. That’s what they do. Besides, we don’t need another animal around here, and most definitely not a dog.”

When Todd McCray, a developmentally challenged young man still living on his parents’ Kansas farm, hears that a local animal shelter is seeking temporary homes for its dogs during the days leading to Christmas, he knows exactly what he wants for the holidays. His father objects, but Todd’s persistence quickly wins out. Soon the McCrays are the short-term foster family for a lovable pooch the young man names Christmas.

But what about all the other dogs who will be forced to spend the Yuletide season in cages? In the days that follow, Todd uses his special gifts of persuasion to encourage his hometown to participate in the “Adopt a Dog for Christmas Program.” What follows from his small act of kindness will teach his family, and his community, about peace on earth and good will toward men—and animals.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
I really love and enjoy A Dog Named Christmas it is a very beautiful and heartwarming book. Now I did see a few minutes of the movie and it looks absolutely great, but I stop myself for watching the whole movie. Because I really wanted to read the book first which I am glad and happy that I did read the book first. Now I can watch the movies next Christmas! We are introduce to Todd McCray a sweet, kind and animal lover who is also a developmentally challenged young man still living on his parents’ Kansas farm. Todd is the youngest child of George and Anne McCray who were introduce in the prequel book. Which I could not wait too read more about George and the McCrays! Todd hears one day on a radio about a local animal shelter is seeking temporary homes for its dogs during the days leading to Christmas. And Todd would do everything it takes to get a dog for Christmas. But his father George who had a really sad past with dogs didn't want to adopt a dog for Christmas because he didn't want his son too feel that sadness ever. So he put his foot down and told Todd no that they had enough animals in the farm, and that they did not need a dog especially on the farm. But with Todd’s persistence and the help of his mom Anne he quickly wins out and his dad finally agrees to allow Todd too adopt a dog. But for only up to Christmas when they must take the dog back too the animal shelter. And Todd agrees. What I love about this book is that George wanted to teach his soon responsible and some independence for his young son, and for Todd to learn to be a full grown adult with his disability . And George knows his son one day could have a normal life with his disability and that's want he wanted Todd to learn about with adopted a dog. But at the end of the book George finally realized adopted a dog was not only too help Todd learn about life. But it is also helped him realized that he needed a friend by his side and help him learn a few lesson's for himself as well! I am going to leave it off here but I really loved and enjoyed A Dog Named Christmas and I learn quite a few things in this amazing heartwarming book. That I most definitely will try to continue on reading more books by Greg Kincaid because I absolutely love his concepts and writing style of his books!

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Growing up, my mother read to me and my sister every night and soon both of us were very good readers. I spent my childhood floating down the Mississippi with Tom and Huck, helping Atticus Finch defend Tom Robinson, and exploring Middle Earth with Gandalf and Bilbo Baggins. It was a rich time. When I wasn’t reading, my dog and I wandered for miles along stream banks, just pretending--the childhood precursor to adult creativity. 

In 1982, I started to work at a large corporate law firm. It was often tedious work and I wasn’t particularly enthralled with  the nuances of corporate law. Needing an escape, I returned to my old friends. I never had a book far away. I started writing my own stories. When my children were born, I combined reading and storytelling to keep up the family tradition of story time. Eventually, I returned to that small farm in Kansas where I grew up, now legally representing people with very different problems. Many of these clients were children in trouble. When I visited them in jails, halfway houses, and treatment centers, I was shocked to see one thing consistently missing from their lives and homes. Books were all too often nowhere to be seen. It was not a hard leap for me to know what these children were missing.

I have spent the last twenty years writing and advocating for literacy.  

During this period, my children suggested that I should write my stories down. My first book was Death Walk at Acoma, a young adult novel published in 1993. Although the book had little commercial success, I kept at it. Over ten years later, with a few unpublished novels in between, I wrote A Dog Named Christmas. It was made into a movie released by CBS as their Hallmark Hall of Fame presentation in November of 2009 and was viewed by over 12 million viewers. The movie won a Genesis Award for raising public awareness for sheltered dogs. The prequel, Christmas with Tucker, was release in November, 2010 and went on to the be one of the highest viewed original productions on the Hallmark Movie Channel in 2013.  I finished up this series of Christmas books with the 2012 book, A Christmas Home.  

 
In our culture, most of us don't have easy access to our own personal guru--a person that helps us to find and stay on a healthy spiritual path.  For myself, this meant spending the last twenty years with my nose buried in various spiritual and psychological texts trying to make some sense out of life on the planet Earth!  I'm not saying that I figured it out,  but I did want to share that journey with my readers that are interested in such things.  With this in mind, I spent over ten years working on my most recent novel, Tantric Coconuts.  It's the Cliff Notes to life, with a love story and dogs thrown in it to boot!   

Today I remain busy working at my law practice, writing, and advocating for childhood literacy and for a more humane world for our fury friends. I still live on that family farm, too!

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 


2 comments:

  1. Omg there's a movie? I'm a sucker for both Christmas and adaptations. Will definitely track this book down.

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    Replies
    1. Yes it is a movie I just saw a few minutes of it and it looks like a really great and sweet Christmas movie, but I love the books more of course lol :) Thank you for stopping by my blog my dear friend.

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