Ratzo

by Marty Crisp

Book Overview

Having rescued a group of abandoned greyhounds from a desert building, thirteen-year-old Josh plans to race one named Ratzo until he discovers the cruelty of the sport. This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0873587227
• ISBN13: 9780873587228
• Release Date: January 1998
• Publisher: Northland Publishing
• Length: 160 Pages
• Weight: 1.90 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.6" x 5.5" x 7.9"
• Age Range: 8 to 12 years
• Grade Range: Grades 3 to 7

Customer Reviews

Wonderful storytelling...and TRUTH

Personally, I have seen first hand the terrible ways these dogs are treated. To say this is a harmless sport is insane. It's great to have rescue groups for these animals and I support them, but think about it...If these racers love their dogs so much, why would they give them away immediatly after they can't race any longer? That is love? This book shows the truth to this "harmless sport". Dogs are forced to run and when they aren't running, they have to sit in cages that would only comfortably hold a dog the size of a small cocker spaniel. My daughter is 2, and I plan to read this book to her when she is older. Another book I recommend if you liked this is Plague Dogs, by Richard Adams (same writer of Watership Down). It deals with expermintation...but I hardly recommend this one for young kids. And I also recommend Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of Nimh (or the Secret of NIMH). Both deal with animals suffering for human's enjoyment/curiosity).

Ratzo is a great book, it showed me the dangers of racing

I loved the book Ratzo because I have a greyhound and I never knew how bad racing can be. Marty Crisp really opened my eyes to the dangers of greyhound racing. I encourage you to read this book because it is exciting and teaches you a lot.

Interesting book about a boy who rescued a greyhound dog.

I thought this was a well-written book and interesting to read. Many parts were exciting and I wanted to find out how it ended but I didn't want to get to the finish because the story was so moving.

I am five years old and I liked this book.

This is a good book to read because a dog is saved and becomes a pet to a boy named Josh. Josh is the boy who found the dog named Ratzo in a cage and did not look like he would live very much longer. Josh found out that the people who had Ratzo first raced him a lot but the dog didn't want to race anymore. Josh was good to the dog and helped him get better. I liked reading this book.

ABUSE AND COMPASSION

This well-written coming-of-age story helps young people see how compassion should move toward correcting an abuse - however much pain and struggle may result for the person who is attempting to change things. Leaning on the wisdom of his grandfather and his own love for dogs, Josh courageously does what he must do and ends the story stronger and happier than he started it. This book is a great read and an ultimately life-changing one!