Brilliant - Hardcover

Roddy Doyle is an internationally acclaimed novelist, screenwriter, and playwright. In 1993 he won the Man Booker Prize for Paddy Clarke Ha Ha Ha. Doyle has also published many books for children, the most recent of which, A Greyhound of a Girl, was short-listed for the CILIP Carnegie Medal. He lives in Dublin.

Hawaii native Emily Hughes’s picture book debut, Wild, was on many “best of” lists for 2014.

Gr 5–8—The Black Dog of Depression has arrived in Dublin, bringing with him a sense of despair that seems to affect many of the adults in the city. When the Dog's influence reaches their home, causing their uncle to lose his business, Gloria and Raymond (at the insistence of their eccentric grandmother) begin chasing the Dog through the streets. As more and more children join them on the chase, Raymond and Gloria wonder how they are going to defeat an antagonist that they sometimes can't even see. When they discover an unlikely weapon against the beast, they push back against his influence and discover something simply brilliant. The story itself is incredibly charming and the characters delightful. Readers will relate to Gloria and Raymond and their desire to understand and help the adults in their lives. VERDICT Doyle has crafted a clever and accessible novel that will spark conversation about both economic and emotional depression.—Wayne R. Cherry, Jr., First Baptist Academy Library, Houston, TX