The Trouble with Tuck (Tuck, #1) by Theodore Taylor

The Trouble with Tuck (Tuck, #1) Reviews

• 
  Book2Dragon

  What a wonderful book, and although it is written as a story it is based on true facts.
  It is a story about a special pet (all are special) that goes blind, and the girl who would do anything to make his life better. This is a tale that tells how if you never give up, even when things seem impossible, even when people tell you it cannot be done, that perseverance can often win. Faith is stronger than discouragement, and Love is stronger than almost anything.
  I'd read Mr. Taylor's "The Cay" years ago and it has always stayed on my favorites list. I was lucky to find this book by chance at the dollar store (you never know) and didn't realize until I got it home that it was the same author. I intend to begin searching for more of his books. He was a wonderful writer.
  You will definitely enjoy this book.
• 
  Natalie

  The more I thought about this book the more I disliked it. Minor spoilers to follow. Read at your own risk.
  
  1. Animal story. I hate them.
  
  2. The girl. She's so selfish. When the dog is actually going blind, the girl wants to use a dog that's trained to help blind people. I could've slapped her. Seriously, that is so selfish. And the whole reason her dog needs one is because she wants to keep letting Tuck wander at will, which is a whole other problem.
  
  3. DON'T LET YOUR DOGS WANDER AROUND. I hate people that let their dogs wander around at will. First off, it's extremely dangerous. We've all had to stop for dogs sprinting in front of us when we're out driving. I would feel horrible if I accidentally hit a dog, and I would never forgive the owners if they'd just been letting the dog run around at will. Let's also keep in mind that these are still animals. They lash out. My sister was bit by a dog as a toddler because the dog got annoyed with her. This particular dog had never been known to be violent. In this story, the vet particularly said going blind could make Tuck more testy. How DUMB to let him wander around. It seriously made me so angry.
  
  While a lot of reviewers found it sweet, I found it obnoxious and stupid. I hate that it's on the BOB list.
• 
  Rachel

  I remember seeing this book on an episode of Reading Rainbow and racing to the library to check it out. The rest of my classmates went to ask the librarian, but I emerged, victorious, after going straight to where it was shelved. What can I say? I am a competitive reader.
  
  These days, I have only one thing I'd like to say in response to this book:
  
  PUT.
  YOUR.
  DOG.
  ON.
  A.
  #@&$ING.
  LEASH.
  
  Har har, so cute, your dog's got free run of the neighborhood, so sweet, he comes home every time. "But I can't leash him! It's cruel!" and "He tears up the house when I try to confine him! He's meant to roam free!"
  
  My dogs have been attacked twice by other dogs in the past three months. Both times, the owners were standing right there. Our dogs were leashed. Theirs were not. DOGS ARE ANIMALS. THEY ARE WONDERFUL, BUT THEY ARE ANIMALS. THEY WILL REACT INSTINCTIVELY, WHETHER AGAINST ANOTHER DOG OR A CHILD. Leashing your beloved pets not only protects others, but protects them, too. I know what it's like to have a dog put down because of his "instinct" to lunge or bite or protect (or whatever was going through his head that day). I can tell you it is one of the worst things I have ever experienced.
  
  Love your dogs. Leash your dogs.
• 
  Kelly

  This was my FAVORITE book when I was young. I must've read it a hundred times, and I still have my original copy. It's about a girl and her dog, and their love for one another. I flipped through it recently, and it's not written in simple "kid's language". Adult dog lovers will be sure to love it, too!!
• 
  Lyn Belzer

  I ADORED this book as a kid. Helen's determination, not to mention the caring support she gets from the adults in her life, made this a book I read and reread until the book was in tatters. I would love to find a copy for my daughter when she's old enough.
• 
  Christie

  The Trouble with Tuck was a brilliant story that really grabs your heart. I very much enjoyed this story.
• 
  Rob Lund

  My daughter rates this sweet book 5 stars. This is my wife's copy that she read as a little girl. It's a classic!
• 
  Cheryl

  Even young me would have been cynical. The author's note says this is based on a true story, but I'm sure that training and setbacks were glossed over in this children's book as compared to real-life. Still, for a child reader, there are some fairly intense bits.
  
  Now, if they'd not allowed Tuck to roam freely in the first place, which is the right thing to do, the whole problem would have been solved. And nowadays they could get an electric fence. But imo it's not the girl, nor Tuck, who is the hero; it's Lady Daisy. If she can manage to keep Tuck from getting killed, that's an HEA that I can support.
  
  I also wish that the family had more seriously considered donating Tuck to medical research, on behalf of the eyesight of future dogs. I also wish that mutts were more popular than purebred (inbred) dogs.
  
  Still, it's an engaging & quick read, and could give some children somethings to think about.
• 
  Stacia

  To say this book has aged poorly is an understatement of epic proportions. It was published in 1981 (set in the mid-50s) and I read it at some point probably around the mid to late 80s. I recently found my copy on a shelf at my parents' house and thought I'd read it again. But when I read it today, I was angry at almost every character in the book.
  
  The crux of the story is that Helen's 3-year old dog is going blind. Because he's saved her life twice, she's determined to save his. Aww, heartwarming! Except not.
  
  So spoilers are ahead.
  
  The things wrong with this book. Where to start?
  
  1. The male author makes sure to mention how "shapely" the young girl's mother is. Why is this relevant? Because Helen, age 11, feels ugly.
  2. But don't worry - at the end of the book, because she has persevered in training her dog (Tuck), she gives us the final line. "I've never felt so good. So confident. So beautiful." Well then!
  3. Helen is saved by Tuck from an attempted abduction and rape. Seems appropriate for the audience!
  4. They take him to the vet for help. At first I was on-board because the vet didn't give them false help. He told them there was no hope, no surgery, nothing that could be done. But then, the vet:
  a) doesn't give them any guidance about what they can do
  b) when they return to his office to offer guidance, he offers to "put the dog away" right then
  c) his alternative suggestion is to turn the dog over to a research lab so maybe he can help other dogs in the future
  d) when the family insists that's not cool, he tells them to consider what's best for the dog, that it's unfair to him to be on a rope
  e) he further shares that the worst bite he ever got was from a friendly but blind (and scared) dog (this is ok, but not so much how he says it)
  f) and when they express (natural) concern for the dog being tied up, he says then they can expect him to get hit by a car, showing them a cat with a head wound and saying "this is what it looks like when an animal is hit by a car."
  g) the dog IS soon hit by a car and the family is terrified, but the child asks if the dog will live, the doctor "laughed heartily" before assuring her he would be ok this time.
  5. Several times hitting the dog is mentioned as an acceptable option (though a last resort) when he's resisting his training or otherwise acting out.
  6. They also leave the dog chained outside all day once he is hit by the car. The girl makes sure he has water, acknowledging the terrible southern CA heat.
  6. There's very little consequence to the girl lying repeatedly, including to a school for the (human) blind where she tries to get her dog an assistance dog, or when she runs away because she was eavesdropping.
  
  That's more than enough reasons to dislike this book.
• 
  Lola Ann

  i love this book!!!!! ❤ i wish that i was Helen!!! i realy want to have two dogs!!!! this book is the best!!!!!!! i especially love the ending!!! ❤
• 
  Jody

  Loved it, obviously, 5 stars. And hey, I'm well enough to read again. And I have time to read at the moment. And...this is my 19th Battle of the Books book for the 2015-2016 school year. One to go--and that's the shortest, because I started to read them longest to shortest just in case things ended up like this--I wanted the books to go faster and faster as I went along. Do you have any quirky little reading habits like that?
  
  Anyway, I loved this book because it's based on a true story. It's refreshingly real and honest. The character has a loving family and good home, but she's honest with herself about her skinny bird legs, freckles, braces, and glasses. Everyone goes through that sort of thing to some extent, but it's not like she started doing drugs or cutting herself. She's a real, human, normal thirteen year old girl.
  
  I love that this girl developed stamina. She kept trying different problem-solving strategies. She put a lot of effort into this dog. Nothing was easy. And yet, she triumphed. Even her parents and the vet thought she had fought hard enough, but she kept her focus on her goal--what she thought was best for her dog. I think kids today are somewhat afraid of hard work (or they've never been taught). They give up too easily. It has a lot of real-life applications, in my humble opinion. And it's only 107 pages. I would suggest it to any fifth grader of mine.
• 
  Jill

  This was my favorite book as a child. I read it at least a half dozen times. As a result, I wanted to become a Guide Dog trainer. My grandparents took me to visit Guide Dogs for the Blind in San Rafael, California. Strangely, my cousin actually did become a trainer. After reading this book, I begged my parents for a dog and I raised a golden retriever from a puppy and did all the training. I was quite inspired by Helen and her determination.
  
  I read this book again recently as an adult to my 8 year old son. My perspective is a bit different as an adult. While I still love the book, I had not remembered the scene of attempted sexual assault.
  I had not remembered all of the descriptions of people’s physical appearances (I really dislike that “classic” authors seem to rely on physical traits as character development). As a grown woman, I found the male author’s take on the voice of a young girl less realistic. But I still enjoyed this book and would read it again.
• 
  Gale

  SEEING-EYE GIRL SEEING WITH HER HEART!
  
  In this touching story 13-year-old Helen dedicates months of frustation and hope to resolve a canine crisis: her beloved 3-year-old lab, Friar Tuck, is going blind. As the various "solutions" proposed by caring and intelligent adults all prove unacceptable to this desperate young lady, she quietly decides to defy the System. Her goal: to keep her loyal companion alive, at home and free-roaming.
  
  Based on an actual incident in California this story reaches across generations and lovers of pets species, to remind us of the meaning of loyalty, devotion and creative conflict resolution--even tough love. You don't have to be a dog lover to appreciate Helen's pain, or applaud her defiance of grim reality. "It's never been done before," is no excuse! When the principals involved truly have Heart, there Is a way after all. For kids 10-15 and pet lovers of all ages.
  
  (March 17, 2011. I welcome dialogue with teachers.)
• 
  Cathy

  Helen adored her beautiful golden Labrador from the first moment he was placed in her arms, a squirming fat sausage of creamy yellow fur. As her best friend, Friar Tuck waited daily for Helen to come home from school and play. He guarded her through the long, scary hours of the dark night. Twice he even saved her life.
  
  Now it's Helen's turn. No one can say exactly when Tuck began to go blind. Probably the light began to fail for him long before the alarming day when he raced after some cats and crashed through the screen door, apparently never seeing it. But from that day on, Tuck's trouble--and how to cope with it--becomes the focus of Helen's life. Together they fight the chain that holds him and threatens to break his spirit, until Helen comes up with a solution so new, so daring, there's no way it can fail.
• 
  Tasha

  This was the book that made me fall in love with reading the summer after 4th grade. I shared it with my daughter, and you can read her very own review below. It is so gratifying to see her devour books, but more so when I can share one that I love with her. :)
  
  
  
  
  I have the book five stars because it was a book with a happy ending. I love happy endings.
  
  I loved it because it had a happy ending, although I was scared that Lady Daisy would have to go, because if Helen's idea didn't work, she would have to go.
  I recommend this book to any dog lovers, I, myself am a dog lover and I loved this book.
• 
  Emily

  This is a good book. I was torn between two and three stars, but the two star attributes are things I can see past. The book was written in the early '80s and takes place in the '50s. Thus, the subtle sexism and Beaver Cleaver vibe make sense. The family is also fanatical about this dog, but then again, he's a purebred they paid money for and they're a well off family living in California. Taylor's descriptions of the dog and a few lines of wisdom are priceless and make this a great read for young people (no older than elementary school) who like dogs or need a self-esteem boost.
• 
  Jennifer Priester

  A very good story about a blind dog that gets a guide dog of his own. This was actually the first book I ever read about either a blind dog or a guide dog so at the time I read this book, it was especially interesting for me. This book focuses on the challenge of a blind dog as well as how the dog adapts to having a guide dog. This book is perfect for dog lovers of all ages.
• 
  Shashank

  An emotional journey of a pet and it's owner. Makes you cry. Makes you happy. It gives you the amazing feel of the bondage between the owner and the dog. You are to read it if you are a pet lover and you have to read it if you are not, because I promise you will become a pet liver after reading the book.
• 
  Sonya

  The passion of this thirteen-year old girl to overcome any obstacle to help her dog who is going blind, builds confidence that her appearance and lack of abilities did not.
  
  Her struggles in problem-solving and training her dog, to protect him from himself, show the inner turmoil and external support of her family.
  
  A heart-warming story that will encourage and inspire.
• 
  Hailey

  My favorite book since I was eight. This is the true story about an awkward girl and her big yellow dog. Helen fights to save Tuck from a life on a chain after he goes blind, and finds a remarkable way to save him---a seeing eye dog.
• 
  Ismelina

  Best things in my childhood were reading, riding my bike, eating fishballs, Barbie dolls, and having a dog. I got to read this book as a child, and to this day, I would still remember it. It's very, very touching. It has the elements that make a great story and gives a valuable lesson too.
• 
  Aubrey Scott

  The very first book that piqued my interest in Guide Dogs, a career field I now plan on going into. This book is, yes, suited for upper elementary school, but still a good read for any age. I loved it and I'm sure once I read it again I will love it more.
• 
  Stephanie

  I read this book as a child multiple times and considered it one of my favorites. I love the beautiful depiction of love and loyalty between an owner (little girl, which I identified with at the time) and her dog. Very beautiful, moving story.
• 
  Corinne

  Story of a girl who teaches her beloved dog, who has recently become blind, how to walk alongside a seeing eye dog. Set in the 1950's, very dated language, big focus on the awkward tween girl gaining confidence/believing she is beautiful after training her dog.
• 
  Chelsea

  This was my favorite book as a child; I read it every summer, as well as the sequel when I discovered it. The love between Helen and her pup is something I have always wanted and needed. This book will always have a special place in my heart.