October 3, 2011
Pearse, an Australian journalist, shares the amazing true story of Sophie, an Australian cattle dog who, on a boating trip with her human family, is swept overboard into the Great Barrier Reef. After a fruitless search, the devastated owners reluctantly conclude that their beloved pet has either drowned or been carried off by ocean predators. Unbeknownst to them, little Sophie swims—for up to 24 hours—to remote Keswick Island. When food and water prove to be scarce, the exhausted and emaciated Sophie undertakes another perilous swim, this time to nearby St. Bees island, where five months later, she is caught and finally reunited with her family. While Sophie’s story is riveting, Pearse’s telling drags in spots, especially when she describes how the family grieved for their lost dog; the writing is affecting but repetitious. The story shimmers, however, when the author focuses on recreating Sophie’s island experiences—through interviews with animal experts like Temple Grandin and with witnesses who noticed the castaway—and describing the joyous reunion. A tender, delightful story of how a cosseted pup turned into a hardy, intrepid—and very lucky—“supercanine,” this book will endear itself to dog and adventure lovers everywhere.
June 15, 2011
When her family, the Griffiths, took Sophie Tucker sailing near Australia's Great Barrier Reef, the three-year-old blue heeler was swept overboard in rough waters and lost. But Sophie proved to be one tough canine, swimming six miles through shark-thick waters to the remote St. Bees Island. There she lived off baby goats for five months until captured by rangers and returned to the mainland. (The island is uninhabited but has facilities for camping and researchers.) Learning about the castaway dog through friends, the Griffiths rushed to meet her, though they doubted it could be Sophie and were in any case warned that she might now be feral. But when Sophie saw her family, she nearly broke out of her cage with joy. Pearse is an Australian journalist living in New York; her book is a tearjerker for everyone.
Copyright 2011 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.
November 1, 2011
Journalist Pearse tells the heartwarming lost-and-found tale of Sophie, an Australian blue heeler who became an unwitting castaway on St. Bees, an island off the Queensland coast. Sophie was a pet store puppy, "the sleepiest of a litter of otherwise bumptious cattle dogs." Although apparently disinterested in human attention, she nevertheless caught the eye of 16-year-old Bridget Griffith, who "fell hopelessly in love" with her. Gentle and affectionate, Sophie quickly won the hearts of Bridget's parents and became the "fifth child" in a family of four children. Over time she transformed them from "steadfast canine disciplinarians to utter softies" who allowed her to come indoors and lay claim to an old leather armchair, a feat no other Griffith dog had ever accomplished. When Bridget left for college a year later, the bond between Sophie and Bridget's parents--especially her father--intensified. In 2009, while the Griffiths and their canine "bestie" were out sailing, Sophie quietly slipped off the deck of their boat and into the ocean. A grief-stricken husband and wife gave up their beloved dog as lost. But against all odds, Sophie managed to swim treacherous, shark-infested waters to land on one, then another, sparsely populated island. Rejecting the humans with whom she came into contact, she survived alone for an incredible five months until she was captured and returned to the Griffiths. Occasionally overdramatized, this story of canine loyalty and the power of human-animal relationships is as charming as its blue-furred heroine. A treat for dog lovers.
(COPYRIGHT (2011) KIRKUS REVIEWS/NIELSEN BUSINESS MEDIA, INC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.)
January 1, 2012
When an Australian blue-heeler dog was found on the mostly uninhabited island of St. Bees, in the shark-infested waters of the Great Barrier Reef, national park rangers wondered how she came to be there. They spent months trying to capture her, slowly winning her trust, unaware that she'd fallen overboard from a boat on a family outing. Australian journalist Pearse recounts the story of how Sophie survived for five months in the wild as a castaway on the island before allowing herself to be rescued. Pearse speculates what the journey must have been like for the three-year-old dog, alone in the ocean, swimming six nautical miles from where she'd fallen overboard. Pearse also recalls how Sophie's owner, a teenage girl, Bridget, met the puppy, fell in love, and raised Sophie until the day she was lost to the family. Pearse interweaves research on the bonds between animals and their owners, including an interview with animal expert Temple Grandin. Dog lovers will appreciate this heartwarming story of animal survival and the ties between humans and animals.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2012, American Library Association.)
April 30, 2012
The “incredible true story” of Sophie begins when the titular Australian cattle dog falls overboard during a boat ride at Mackay Marina in Queensland, Australia. Instead of drowning, Sophie swims six miles to an island and survives for five months until she’s miraculously reunited with her owners, Jan and Dave Griffith. Anna-Lisa Horton narrates in a clear, conversational tone, maintaining listener interest throughout, even during dry sections of the book, e.g., passages detailing the movement and speed of the tide and descriptions of the flora and fauna on Keswick Island, where Sophie eventually washes up. A must listen for animal lovers and fans of man’s best friend. A De Capo Lifelong hardcover.
November 15, 2011
This emotionally uplifting saga of a Queensland, Australia, family who lost overboard their beloved blue heeler dog, Sophie, while on a weekend boating trip reflects the strength and loyal spirit of these people and canines. Journalist Pearse writes of how the Griffiths were sure Sophie could never have survived the over-five-mile swim in heavy storm currents and shark-infested waters to the nearest islands, but their pampered but hardy family pet somehow made it to a nearby inhospitable, uninhabited island. Facing dehydration and starvation, a desperate Sophie plunged back into the ocean two months later and braved the long swim to neighboring St. Bees island, a large nature preserve with only 14 inhabitants. Concern for the safety of the rare, indigenous koala population on St. Bees meant that, by law, the wary and reclusive Sophie's days were numbered unless she could be safely relocated. Nearly five months after her disappearance, the Griffiths were stunned to learn that a dog found on St. Bees could be their cherished Sophie. VERDICT Animal lovers and survival story enthusiasts will enjoy this riveting, true story, told with strong local flavor.--Susan Riley, Mount Kisco P.L., NY
Copyright 2011 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.