It's the story of a dog named Chance, who lives at Dogtown, a shelter for both regular dogs and robotic ones. Chance longs every day for her family to come take her home again, though she's worried that they won't want her anymore when they find she only has three legs now. But this doesn't mean that she spends her days pining. She has a wonderfully caring personality, and this is what drives the plot.
When a robot dog, Metal Head, arrives at Dogtown, Chance is at first dismissive of them--robot dogs don't have hearts like real ones. But Metal Head proves her wrong. This is the catalyst for a chain of events include a tense (and entertaining) adventure for Chance, Metal Head, and Chance's mouse friend outside the safety of Dogtown. And it's because of Metal Head that Chance finds her family again.
And although I (cynical, as noted above) tend to squirm at sweet messages, the last message Chance gets from Metal Head made me sniff (in a good way)--"Your heart is a muscle. It grows stronger the more you use it." The sweet message is set in the context of a solid story, with characters the reader can't help but care for, and the illustrations make the book all the more appealing. So many cute dogs!
But don't think it is all caring friends and happy endings! Sensitive kids might be distressed by some aspects of the story--Dogtown, sadly, is not a no kill shelter. And although none of the dogs we meet suffer this fate, it hangs over their heads, adding to their desperate wish to find homes. Chances backstory is sad--a horrible dog sitter was responsible for the accident that cost Chance her leg. And Metal Head's story has a twist that might distress--(spoiler) the boy he lived with discarded him as being a childish toy, which reminds me of what happens to kids when friends grow up faster than they do.
Still, the feeling at the end is warm and loving, and I would happily give it as a gift if I had any 8 or 9 year old animal lovers to shop for.
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