Tuck Triumphant

In the long-awaited sequel to THE TROUBLE WITH TUCK, Helen's blind Labrador faces his greatest challenge ever when his own Seeing Eye dog is brutally killed and Tuck uses all of his senses to help a frightened Korean orphan who can't hear. "Exciting reading."-Horn Book Author Biography: Theodore Taylor was born in North Carolina and began writing at the age of thirteen as a cub reporter for the Portsmouth, Virginia Evening Star. Leaving home at seventeen to join the Washington Daily News as a copy boy, he worked his way toward New York City and became an NBC network sportswriter at the age of nineteen. Mr. Taylor is the author of a dozen books for young readers, among them the award-winning The Cay. He lives in Laguna Beach, California, with his wife, Flora. Publisher's Weekly With her knock-knees and braces, ``wilting lily'' Helen Ogden never thought she could be an advocate for hard-luck cases. But training Tuck, her blind Labrador, to consent to be led about by Lady Daisy, a German Shepherd guide dog, was a great confidence booster. Now she's facing an even greater challenge: to convince her family to keep the adopted six-year-old Korean boy they have just discovered is deaf. Building upon the events of The Trouble with Tuck , Taylor has again succeeded in rallying dog lovers to the cause of the blind hero in this thoughtful yet action-packed sequel. Children are likely to overlook the somewhat obvious plot devices and the occasional unfortunate racial stereotype in exchange for Helen's exhilarating, fierce loyalty for both her dog and her helpless brother. Ages 8-14. (Mar.) School Gr 5-8-- Helen Ogden, 14, and Tuck, her blind Labrador, both introduced in The Trouble with Tuck (Doubleday, 1981), continue their courageous, loving story. Having trained Tuck to use Lady Daisy as his seeing-eye dog, Helen now faces a new challenge when her parents decide to adopt a Korean orphan. When the family meets six-year-old Chok-Do at the airport, they discover that the boy is deaf and mute. While her parents agonize over a decision to send Chok-Do back, Helen takes him on as her project. She trained Tuck; she can train Chok-Do and the family. After difficult adjustments, life-threatening episodes, and the death of Lady Daisy, the family plans a wilderness trip before deciding Chok-Do's fate. During a thunderstorm, Tuck saves both Chok-Do and Helen, and the parents realize they love the boy. Helen and Tuck triumphantly prevail, intrepid and determined; Tuck will get a new seeing-eye dog and everyone will learn sign language. All the details of a deaf-mute are accurate, as are the harrowing, potentially deadly incidents that wouldn't occur if Chok-Do could hear. The dog relationships are very appealing. Helen's character--resolute, brave, open-minded, patient--is an excellent model for readers, and there's enough excitement, carefully spaced, to keep readers interested or to make this a good read-aloud. Not a great book, but a satisfying one. --Ellen Ramsay, Amphitheater High School, Tucson, AZ AudioFile - Paul E. Ferrari Ready for another heroic dog story? DonÆt say no too quickly. This is a real nail biter made all the more endearing because the dog is blind, and one of the children is a deaf Korean orphan, whose adoptive family is struggling with his condition. Winner of more than eleven literary awards, this adventure exudes warmth through rich, minutely drawn characterizations. The reader, Christina Moore, has an earnest, youthful voice that seems perfectly matched with the fourteen-year-old narratorÆs sometimes pouting, sometimes excited, sometimes anxious tones. Another heroic dog story, but this time first-rate family entertainment. P.E.F. ¬AudioFile, Portland, Maine