Wild & Chance by Allen Zadoff-- Middle Grade Review & Giveaway

Wild & Chance

by Allen Zadoff
Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Release Date: April 28, 2020

Genre: Middle Grade, Children's

Synopsis: 

Sit. Speak. Survive the chase.

A girl wakes up trapped on a sinking ship with no memory of who she is and nothing but her instinct to survive. She fights her way to freedom, only to discover two incredible facts: She is a dog, and she can understand human speech. She soon befriends a thirteen-year-old boy named Chance who gives her a name of her own-Wild.

But Wild and Chance find themselves running for their lives, pursued by relentless Animal Control officers. Joined by a mysterious hacker girl named Junebug, the unlikely trio fights for survival while trying to solve the mystery of Wild's extraordinary strength, superintelligence, and high-tech collar.

Equal parts heart-pounding action and heartfelt journey, Wild & Chance grabs the reader from page one and never lets go.

I decided to help out with this blog tour because I have a 12 year-old boy who I thought would enjoy the book.  I'll share his thoughts here as well as mine.

We both loved the way this book started out fast.  It starts with a dog, who doesn't even know she's a dog, on the run, trying to figure out what's going on.  She's got super strength, the mind of a human, but no clue where she's from or how she got this way.  She wants to communicate and has a feeling it's possible, but can't quite figure out how to make that happen.

Chance was a boy that tugged at my emotions.  He's in a group home because his mother is an addict and I wanted him to have his life straightened out for him so bad.  When he met Chance it took him on an adventure that I think he kind of needed.  Not that he needed more danger in his life, but an adventure and new friends definitely took his mind off of his reality.

My kid liked the mystery of Wild's backstory.  She kept having flashbacks to confrontations with a soldier and also being with a small girl with pink tennis shoes.  He loved the intrigue in not knowing what Wild's real backstory was.

They eventually team up with a hacker named Junebug who figures out how to talk to Wild and gives them a place to hideout.  The rest of the book is a wild (lol) ride where so much more is going on that what we ever thought.

I think the best part of this story is that there's no downtime.  It's a book you want to read in one sitting because STUFF IS ALWAYS HAPPENING.  Also, as with any book that features a dog, I was scared to death that something would happen to her!!  I mean, rationally she's the main character, so she was going to be fine-- but I've been fooled before!!!

OVERALL: We thought this book was fun and a WILD ride.  We think you should take a CHANCE on this book if you like adventure and animals.  Okay, I'm done pun-ing you to death!!

• The author and publisher has asked that we share pictures of our pets, so here are mine!!!
• They're my beautiful little princesses and we love them so much.
• Their names are Lucy and Ruby (named after Beatles & Rolling Stones songs-- I used to have a dog named Layla, so I guess I'm into naming dogs after songs.  I'm named after Michelle by the Beatles, so I guess that's a thing with my family too).
• I got them about 4 years apart, but as you can see, they're best friends!!

Allen Zadoff is the author of the new thriller series, The Unknown Assassin which earned starred reviews and is being developed as a feature film by Will Smith's Overbrook Entertainment. His YA novel, Food, Girls, and Other Things I Can't Have won the Sid Fleischman Humor Award and was a YALSA selection for Most Popular Paperbacks of 2012. His second novel was My Life, the Theater, and Other Tragedies, the story of a techie hiding from life after a family tragedy. His third novel Since You Left Me is set in Los Angeles and tells the story of a religious school student who doesn't believe. He also wrote the memoir for adults, Hungry:Lessons Learned on the Journey from Fat to Thin.

Allen is a graduate of Cornell University and the Harvard University Institute for Advanced Theatre Training. Visit him on the web at www.allenzadoff.com.

Click the image to see the full tour schedule!!

• 1 copy of WILD & CHANCE by Allen Zadoff
• Us Only
• The prize may be delayed due to shipping centers being affected by COVID-19

a Rafflecopter giveaway