Hound Dog True

By Linda Urban

A story about small acts of courage from the author of A Crooked Kind of Perfect.

Do not let a mop sit overnight in water. Fix things before they get too big for fixing. Custodial wisdom: Mattie Breen writes it all down. She has just one week to convince Uncle Potluck to take her on as his custodial apprentice at Mitchell P. Anderson Elementary School. One week until school starts and she has to be the new girl again. But if she can be Uncle Potluck’s apprentice, she’ll have important work to do during lunch and recess. Work that will keep her safely away from the other fifth graders. But when her custodial wisdom goes all wrong, Mattie’s plan comes crashing down. And only then does she begin to see how one small, brave act can lead to a friend who is hound dog true.

This ebook includes a sample chapter of THE CENTER OF EVERYTHING.

• Language: English
• Publisher: HarperCollins
• Release date: Aug 22, 2011
• ISBN: 9780547677309

Linda Urban

Linda Urban has written many award-winning books for young readers, including the novels Almost There and Almost Not, A Crooked Kind of Perfect, Hound Dog True, The Center of Everything, and Talk Santa to Me. For ten years, she served as marketing director at Vroman’s Bookstore in Pasadena, California. Currently, she teaches in the Writing for Children and Young Adults program at Vermont College of Fine Arts. She has been visited by only one ghost, and he was not at all snooty. Visit her at LindaUrbanBooks.com.

Reviews for Hound Dog True

[reader1009-863136 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Children's fiction. Sweet story about a shy 10-11 year old girl trying to fit in. Linda Urban really brings the main characters to life (Mattie Mae and her "Director of the Custodial Arts" Uncle Potluck); the story is rich with the imagination of a 6th grader and sprinkled heavily with wonderful vocab--if he were in my family, Potluck would certainly be my favorite uncle as well.

[asomers_8 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

This is a great story to recommend to those students that are shy or are introverts. They will really connect with Mattie Mae in this delightful story.

[faithlibrarian · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Cute book even though it may not go over here since it is Southern US.....Nothing offensive though.

[dwall011 · Rating: 1 out of 5 stars]

This book was not too appealing to me. It's about a young girl who struggles to make friends because she's always moving schools and she's very shy. Eventually she makes an acquaintance who ends up becoming a friend who is hound dog true. I wouldn't recommend this book to anyone besides young girls with shyness issues.

[thebumblegirl · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I truly wish that I had been able to read Hound Dog True as a child. Linda Urban's writing is sweet and refreshing, heartfelt and insightful - a book for all ages to read, experience and be inspired by.Mattie has one week to adjust before becoming the new kid in school again. She decides that maybe this time it won't be so bad if she can convince her Uncle Potluck, the custodian to her school, to let her become his apprentice in order to avoid any moments to where she would have to be forced to talk to her classmates. She is very observant and records all of their odd jobs in her notebook.Will her idea work?Then the neighbors niece comes into town for the week. Mattie's mother and Uncle would like them to be friends. But Mattie is awkward and doesn't know what to do with Quincy who looks to be older and outspoken, the complete opposite of what Mattie is.Will Mattie be able to trust Quincy to be her friend?Mattie's mother, although very loving and caring, is flighty and in denial. Her motto being "When the going gets tough, the tough get going." After getting some advice from Uncle Potluck, she decides that it is finally time for her and Mattie to stay put for once. That they weren't going to run anymore 'when the going gets tough'... Mattie doesn't agree at first. She is having a tough time adjusting and wants to get going... will they?Will Mattie stay "Hound Dog True"?It is a coming of age story of a painfully shy girl; a fifth grader who overcomes some of her fears by accepting what is, opening up and accepting how good things can be if she allows herself the opportunity.I truly recommend reading this book!

[delphica · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

I thought this book was weird, but can't really put my finger on why I didn't like it more. A shy girl and her mother move back to her mother's hometown, where they live with two uncles -- one of them I kept forgetting about because he's hardly ever in the story, and the other one who is a custodian at the school the girl will attend in the fall.All the elements are pleasant enough, but they come together in strange ways. I know shy kids learning how to make friends is a common theme in literature, but this kid's shyness was borderline pathological, I was waiting for a deeper issue to emerge. Certain incidents seemed to be presented with a heavy import, and then never went anywhere.Grade: C-Recommended: Not really.

[jazzberry_1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

This book was nicely written, it just didn't grab me and make me want to keep reading.

[shazzerwise_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Slight and subtle, I enjoyed this volume more than Urban's previous work. Mattie Mae is a wonderful character, and her worries are very relatable. I actually could have done with another fifty pages or so, but the story ended where it should have, so that's not a real complaint. Overall, very well done.