Dogs are said to be a man’s best friend. who can’t resist those fluffy ears and wagging tails? Here are ten books that have dogs in them in some form or fashion.
#1 The Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster
- Almost 5 million copies sold 60 years after its original publications
- 272 pages
- Sure, this 1961 fantasy adventure novel is marketed as a kid’s book, but sometimes you just need to lean into the nostalgia. Besides, the dog in this book is literally a watchdog.
#2 Where the Red Fern Grows by Wilson Rawls
- Another 1961 book with a dog. Was it the year of the dog? *checks notes…no it was the year of the Ox…oh well*
- 245 pages
- A boy buys and trains two Redbone Coonhounds for hunting
#3 The Curious Incident of the Dog in Night-time by Mark Haddon
- Concerns the mysterious death of a neighbor’s dog that is investigated by a young boy
- 226 pages
- Title refers to an observation by Sherlock Holmes in “The Adventure of Silver Blaze” (1892 short story)
“Is there any point to which you would wish to draw my attention?” (Gregory -Scotland Yard Detective)
“To the curious incident of the dog in the night-time.” (Holmes)
“The dog did nothing in the night-time.”
“That was the curious incident,” remarked Sherlock Holmes.
—The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes: Adventure 1: “The Silver Blaze”
#4 A Dog’s Purpose by W. Bruce Cameron
- Book one of A Dog’s Purpose series
- 336 pages
- Details a dog’s journey through four lives and how he looks for his purpose in each life
#5 In Dog We Trust by Beth Kendrick
- Book 5 of the Black Dog Bay Novels
- 335 pages
- Jocelyn Hillier is named legal guardian of a pack of pedigreed Labrador retrievers
#6 Because of Winn-Dixie by Kate DiCamillo
- 2000 children’s novel
- 192 pages
- 10-year-old girl finds a dog in a Winn-Dixie and brings it home
#7 The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum
- 1900 children’s novel and first in the Oz series
- 88 pages
- Umm…Toto!
#8 The Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein
- New York Times bestselling novel made into a film in 2019
- 321 pages
- Enzo the dog reflects back on his life on the eve of his death
#9 City by Clifford D. Simak
- Collection of science fiction short stories originally published between 1944 and 1951 and then published together in 1952
- 224 pages
- A futuristic Earth where humans have fled the cities to the countryside and left their canine companions behind—but not before giving them the power of speech.
#10 The Darkest Evening of the Year by Dean Koontz
- 2007 thriller set in Southern California
- 368 pages
- A woman has dedicated her life to an organization founded to rescue abandoned and endangered golden retrievers.
Toad with Books 