When Mack Came Back

by Brad Strickland

Book Overview

Maury is terrified when he hears howling coming from the woods. When he goes to see what's making the noise, he finds a shivering dog tangled in blackberry vines. Maury realizes that it's his brother... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0803724985
• ISBN13: 9780803724983
• Release Date: January 2000
• Publisher: Dial Books
• Length: 105 Pages
• Weight: 0.50 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 5.8" x 8.6"
• Age Range: 8 to 12 years
• Grade Range: Grades 3 to 7

Customer Reviews

A Dog Tale Even a Cat Person Can Like

I first read `When Mack Came Back' some years ago, and had occasion to re-read it recently. (Reason below.) And I was struck again by what a nearly-perfect YA novel it is. The story covers about a year in the life of Maury Painter, a slightly precocious ten-year-old boy living on his family's Georgia farm during the Second World War. It's a busy year for Maury: He's offered the chance to skip a grade. He has to deal with bullying at school and some misunderstanding at home because of his un-Painter-ly bookishness. And his whole family is struggling with the hurt and loose ends left behind when Maury's older brother, Ben, ran off to join the Army. What ties all these threads together is Mack, a black lab who is probably (but not entirely certainly) Ben's dog, which he gave away when he enlisted. In the first pages of the book, Mack has escaped his new owner and dragged home, injuring himself in the process. Maury wants to keep Mack -- just until Ben comes home. Aged ten, he cannot see the pain this prospect causes his mother or the anger it provokes in his father. And neither of them, because of his or her own nature, can tell Maury. Through Maury's efforts, Mack recovers and is allowed to stay. Step by step, over the year, Maury works his way through all his problems, realistically growing a bit every day, as ten-year-old boys do. Mack becomes something special -- and something a little different -- to all the members of the Painter family. And Ben eventually finds his way home, too, though not in quite the way anyone would have expected. The plot aside, the book has a marvelous sense of time and place. The characters are strong and realistic, decent without being saintly. My own parents are from south Alabama; my father was in the Navy during World War 2. I had no problem hearing the voices of the Painters and their neighbors in my head. I heard their real-life counterparts when I was growing up, and Brad Strickland evokes them very well. The style and language are simple and direct, and benefit from being read aloud. I recommend the book to you. (Full disclosure: I know Brad Strickland and was recently involved in asking someone to adapt `When Mack Came Back' for audio. If I did not think as highly of `Mack' as I do, I would not have thought of it as a project, nor could I have been as pleased with the results as I was.)

Logan Book Review

It stated on a cold day in Decemder 1943, World war two was going on and Maury Painter had a brother in the war. His name was Ben. One day Maury was out in the woods playing with his friend all of a souden a crepy voice started and Maury new it was not his friend because he would have gotted scard doing it hemself. It was a dog , he took it back home and call the vet to come and check on him. He gave the dog his shots and fed him, and he was all better. But his dad did not want the dog to stay and was very made that he sold his bike for the dog fees. His dad tried to take it back to the onwer but he said he could keep it. So Mack got to stay!

An appealing read-aloud

The dramatic first chapter hooked my 5th grade students on Strickland's touching story of life in North Georgia during World War II as seen through the eyes of 11 year old Maury Painter. Maury is determined to save the black lab puppy he finds tangled up in the woods. He is convinced it is his brother's dog, which was placed over 30 miles away when his brother joined the army. The book is paced beautifully to read aloud and students' interest is captured by Maury's sacrifice to save the dog, his hard work to skip a grade in school, and the anxiety which clouds their lives when his brother is reported missing in action. The ending is funny and cathartic--and for once the dog lives happily ever after! Strickland portrays life in North Georgia accurately and the dialect in the final chapter was a joy to read.

Bring Mack into your home. It will be a warmer place.

When Mack Came Back isn't just a story about a boy and his dog. It's not about a talking dog or a dog that rescues children from the bottom of wells. It's about family, faith and love, told from the point of view of Maury, a ten year old boy that loves to read and gets a bellyache when thinking about picking cotton. It's about growing up and growing wise. It involves a dog that is probably a lot like your dog, or like a dog you may know. One that eagerly awaits scraps at the dinner table and one that poops in the bushes. Still, Mack is such a sweet, loving and loyal dog. He learns quickly and tries hard. The characters are real people. People that you can't help but have feelings for as soon as they are introduced. Especially Old Pa, Maury's endearing and kind grandfather. The places and settings, described in beautiful and loving detail that only someone who was there could express, are also real. The story talks about farming, not in a romantic or idealistic way, but as the hard and honorable work that it really is. It reminds us that there were families of young soldiers, away fighting World War II, and the worries those families felt and prayers they said. This is a story that parents should read to their children and teachers should read to their pupils. Get it as a gift for a child you know. Initially they may grumble at the lack of a spaceship or dragon on the cover, but, when they start reading, will surely be delighted to read the story of an everyday person dealing with everyday issues. Brad Strickland has, again, given us an unpretentious and modest gift. If you haven't read any of his many other books, this is an excellent introduction to his work. I couldn't recommend this book more.