School Library Journal

Gr 5-8-Bred as a show dog, Magnificent Dawn of Venus von Braun was a German shepherd destined for greatness until a broken leg took her out of contention and into the arms of a boy named Willie. Reminded of the landlord's no-pet policy, the heartbroken boy answers a newspaper ad and Venus, now "Cracker," is accepted into a military canine unit to help soldiers sniff out booby traps in Vietnam. She and her handler, Rick Hanski, quickly bond and head to the front lines. Cracker and Rick's successful missions lead to more dangerous operations and they are ultimately separated during a siege. Critically wounded, Rick is sent home, not knowing what has become of Cracker, and it is a heart-wrenching wait for word on her whereabouts. Kadohata shifts point of view from Willie to Cracker and Rick. While the dog's thoughts and feelings supply the crucial visceral elements associated with her job and her relationship to Willie and Rick, she competes with Rick for top billing as main character. Willie is the story's casualty, as he realizes that Cracker now belongs to Rick. Divided reader empathy aside, the story is filled with action and accurately re-creates the experience of the military canine program, from aspects of training to the battlefield. It's likely to spark readers' interest in this little-known area of military history.-Vicki Reutter, Cazenovia High School, NY Copyright 2007 Reed Business Information.

Horn Book (Wed Aug 01 00:00:00 CDT 2007)

German shepherd Cracker trains with Rick, who's going to Vietnam. Cracker learns to sniff out tripwires, and Rick learns to trust his sometimes rebellious dog. After some simplistic passages from Cracker's point of view, Kadohata digs into Rick's Vietnam experience. Without asking too much of her middle-grade readers, Kadohata creates tension and pathos around the bonds between humans and dogs in wartime.

Kirkus Reviews

"But she and Rick had . . . something bigger. She wasn't sure what it was. All she knew was that when he came to her in the morning, she had no choice but to twirl around and chase her tail before sitting down in front of him." Cracker is a German shepherd, owned by the US Army, who sniffs out booby traps in Vietnam with her handler, Rick. Kadohata has deftly intertwined a classic dog story with that of a soldier's by writing from both points of view, remarkably well, though her talents with realistic voice and immediacy of setting that garnered her the Newbery Medal are put to the test here. Rick's colloquialisms are essential to his character, but sometimes fall flat on the page: "The more Rick trained, the more he started to feel that Cracker was kind of like reading his mind or something." The narrative is slow to engage, starting with Cracker's previous owner, and plenty of saccharine. There's not much information on the war, nor do Rick's internal dilemmas reach beyond the surface. Despite thin spots, the story succeeds on the strength of its characters, their struggles and their relationship, reaching a readership that doesn't get enough quality writing in this genre. (Fiction. 9-13)

Publishers Weekly (Fri Oct 06 00:00:00 CDT 2023)

Since winning a Newbery medal for her World War II book, <EMPHASIS TYPE=""ITALIC"">Kira-Kira, Kadohata has ventured into the muddier world, literally and figuratively, of the Vietnam War (the “American War” to the Vietnamese). Cracker—bred as a show dog, raised as a pet and later trained as a booby-trap-sniffing military canine—is a heroic and sympathetic character. Some of the tale is told from the perspectives of her boy owner, Willie, and her partner/trainer, Rick, but the lion's share is from Cracker's vantage point. Farr narrates the piece with patience and perfect diction. Her calm tone is only broken whenever trauma rears its head, and though there is plenty of tension, overall her Cracker keeps a Zen-like innocence and calm throughout (with an occasional shout of “Wiener!” when a favorite training treat is detected). In the same way that Kadohata avoids discussing the reasons for the conflict, Farr's portrayal of Cracker successfully keeps listeners inside the world of a dog's mind, to great effect. Ages 10-up. <EMPHASIS TYPE=""ITALIC"">(Mar.)

Starred Review ALA Booklist (Thu Feb 01 00:00:00 CST 2007)

Starred Review The author of Kira-Kira (2004) and Weedflower (2006) tells a stirring, realistic story of America's war in Vietnam, using the alternating viewpoints of an army dog named Cracker and her 17-year-old handler, Rick Hanski, who enlists to "whip the world" and avoid a routine job. From their training at a base in the U.S, complete with mean sergeant and close buddies, to their stalking the enemy, the heartfelt tale explores the close bond of the scout-dog team, relating how it detects booby traps and mines, finds the enemy, rescues POWs, and returns home to a heroes' welcome. Throughout the struggle, the dog and the teenager care for one another. There's no background on the conflict ("he didn't and couldn't understand what he was doing here in Vietnam"). Rather, the focus is on how Cracker uses her senses to help the team accomplish its goals, and on her physical bond with Rick, who understands Cracker's every movement. Add this to books in the "Core Collection: The Vietnam War in Youth Fiction" (2006). Also give it to readers who liked Gary Paulsen's Woodsong (1990).

Voice of Youth Advocates

When Willie's family is compelled to move to a Chicago apartment where dogs are not allowed, the heartbroken eleven-year-old must give up his young German shepherd, Cracker. It is the 1960s, and the U.S. Army is looking for German shepherds and Labs to be trained for military service in Vietnam. At Fort Benning, Cracker is paired with handler trainee Rick Hanski, who enlisted in the Army straight out of high school, seeking more excitement than he expects to find in his family's hardware store in his small Minnesota hometown. Although Cracker never forgets Willie, she eventually bonds with Rick to form an effective team in an IPSD (Infantry Platoon Scout Dog) unit bound for Vietnam. There Rick and Cracker take point on dangerous jungle missions in which Cracker finds plenty of opportunities to locate deadly Viet Cong booby traps and sniff out enemy ambushes. The story is told from several points of view, human and canine. Scenes contrasting Cracker's feelings and reactions with those of the people around her are especially effective. Kadohata is best known for conveying the Japanese American experience through young female narrators in Newbery Medalist Kira-Kira (Atheneum/S & S, 2004/VOYA August 2004), and Weedflower (2006/VOYA February 2006). Here she chronicles a different sort of collision between Asian and American cultures, centering on a canine who loyally serves her handler, oblivious to the politics of the Vietnam conflict. She creates a good story for dog lovers and military buffs, including photos and factual information about the use of dogs in the Vietnam War.-Walter Hogan.