Dog that Dumped on my Doona
Published August 2008
What's an eleven-year-old boy to do when an ugly dog called Blacky appears on his bed and tells him he has been given the mission to rescue God? The answer's obvious: he's gone completely mad, bonkers, loony, one-sandwich-short-of-a-picnic. Except for one small thing: God DOES need rescuing. Quickly. And there's only one person who can do it...
This is a 'fast and funny book' from CBCA-shortlisted author Barry Jonsberg.
Description
When Marcus is woken by a dog doing a poo on his bed, he is understandably upset.
And Blacky (the dog) has other surprises in store.
Soon Marcus and his disruptive friend Dylan are on a mission to rescue God - a sick pygmy bearded dragon - from the local pet shop.
But time is running out...
And then there is Rose who thrives on terrorising her little brother. She is the sister from hell, but revenge will be sweet.
Or so Marcus thinks.
'Funny, entertaining and meaningful. I would highly recommend it.' Cam, 12
Awards
Shortlisted for the Territory Read Literature Award 2008
Shortlisted for the Wilderness Society's Environment Award for Children's Literature 2009
The Author Says
I wanted to write a book that would appeal to younger readers, particularly boys aged 9 to 12, but wasn’t sure what I wanted to write about. And then something strange happened… a line came into my head and wouldn’t go away. That line was:
I woke one morning to find a dog taking a dump on my doona.
I liked the line. It seemed, at least to me, funny. It also seemed like the start of a story. Who was the dog? Why was he taking a dump on someone’s doona? Who was that ‘someone’? So, as I normally do, I wrote the book to find out.
The result was something I hadn’t anticipated. Yes, the story [as the title suggests] has plenty of references to poo, farts, bums and other things that 9-12 year old boys find funny [and I must be honest – this much older boy finds funny]. But it also became a book about the environment and the damage that humans are doing to it. I didn’t start out to write this.
It just happened.
And all the characters fell into place – Blacky the farting, grumpy dog who can communicate with Marcus, the nerdy year 8 boy and his mate, the ADH sufferer, Dylan. The rest is just mayhem. Mayhem with a message, which explains why this book was shortlisted for the 2009 Environmental Award for Children’s Literature.
I’m proud of that.
Young Adults
Dreamrider
We stared at each other, the fat boy and the boy with ice for eyes. And I waited
An intense, confronting, unforgettable novel to challenge our assumptions about bullying, coping strategies and mental health.
Younger Readers
A Croc Called Capone
A free trip to the Northern Territory! Sounds good, thinks Marcus ('Mucus' to his sister Rose). But when his best friend Dylan joins the family holiday, mayhem is not far away.
Signed Copies
Looking for an ideal birthday or Christmas present? Why not a signed copy of one of Barry's books?
Barry will be very happy to personally sign a copy [with whatever message you wish] and send it to you or straight to the recipient of your gift. We can even gift-wrap it for you.
There is no extra cost for these services – in other words, you simply pay the recommended retail price of the book, plus postage.
