How I, Nicky Flynn, Finally Get a Life (and a Dog)

by Art Corriveau

Overview

Nicky Flynn’s life just got a whole lot harder. His parents are going through a messy divorce, and as a result he’s starting a new life, in a new city, in a new school. Now his mom has brought home Reggie, an eighty-pound German shepherd fresh from the animal shelter, who used to be a seeing-eye dog. At first Nick isn’t sure about this canine intrusion—it’s just another in a series of difficult changes. Soon, however, Nick is on the path to finding out why a seeing-eye dog would be left at an animal shelter, and along the way discovers that Reggie is a true friend that Nick can rely on. But when he tries to reconnect with his dad, Nick puts everything on the line, including the life of his new best friend.
Art Corriveau is a brilliant new voice for middle-grade fiction. How I, Nicky Flynn, Got a Life (and a Dog) is a heartfelt and honest look at the effects of divorce and the wonders of friendship.

F&P Level: T
F&P Genre: RF

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781613123607
Publisher:	ABRAMS
Publication date:	03/15/2012
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
File size:	4 MB
Age Range:	8 - 12 Years

About the Author

Art Corriveau holds an MFA in writing from the University of Michigan. His writing has received great reviews from School Library Journal, Booklist, Kirkus, and many others. Booklist praised How I, Nicky Flynn, Finally Get a Life (and a Dog), his first middle-grade novel, for its “vividly drawn” characters. He lives in Vermont.

Editorial Reviews

This touching and engrossing story stars 11-year-old Nicky, whose parents have just split up, forcing him to move with his troubled mother to a tiny apartment in Boston. Despite having difficulty making ends meet, Nicky’s mother brings home another mouth to feed: Reggie, a former guide dog. While Nicky is at first dismayed by his new companion, he quickly grows to rely on him, particularly since he is having a hard time integrating at his new school, and his father neither calls nor visits. With Reggie leading the way, Nicky visits the haunts of the dog’s former owner and tries to figure out why Reggie landed at the pound. But the web of lies he tells in the process grows out of control, and ultimately he must face up to the truth and accept the dissolution of his parents’ marriage. In his first book for young readers, Corriveau (Housewrights) includes cultural and geographical facts about Boston without weighing the story down. Nicky should appeal to readers who have had troubles at home or have struggled to fit in. Ages 8-12. (May)

Publishers Weekly

Nicky Flynn has it all—a nice home, a family, a good school, and friends. That suddenly changes, however, when his mom and dad divorce. Now Nicky has nothing, or so he believes. Not only does he have to live with his mom in a way-too-small apartment, but he also has to go to a new school where he knows absolutely no one. On top of that, his mom brings home a new dog, Reggie, which Nicky does not like. Could life get any worse for Nicky? But troubles do not stop there. The dog causes problems in the apartment. The landlord is not happy. His mom lies and spends her time sulking and watching television. Nicky does not get along with anyone in school, and a bully and his posse are after him. Then his mom makes him take care of a stupid dog he did not want in the first place. Life for this middle school boy does not seem to be fair. Things start to change in a mysterious sort of way, however, when he walks Reggie daily and finds out that Reggie has had a different past, too. Nicky discovers that Reggie's past is a bit secretive, and it intrigues him enough to work like a detective to uncover more details. Readers will be fascinated with this exciting, fun-filled book that will keep their attention through the unexpected things that happen to Nicky and Reggie. Reviewer: Cathi I. White

Children's Literature - Cathi I. White

Nicky Flynn is almost 11 when his world capsizes. Mom and Dad divorce and sell his suburban home. Mom rents a one-bedroom dumpy apartment in a seedy section of Boston, and he starts sixth grade in a new school. He is sure his mom is lying about why his dad isn't seeing or calling him. Mom brings home Reggie, a guide dog who didn't make the grade, and Nicky comes to rely on the German shepherd. Nicky lies, breaks into homes and cars, and commits other misdeeds in order to be with Reggie. Nicky is in many ways typical of kids who are thrust into situations they don't understand. He just wants to fit in at school and can't seem to get anything right. He eventually runs away from home, and his life on the lam is a page-turner for tweens who crave action and adventure. Reviewer: Judith Hayn

Judith Hayn

Reeling from his parents' separation, his move from a comfortable suburban home and perennially postponed visits with his father, almost-12-year-old Nicky Flynn begins a log to record his mother's "lying" when she brings home a former seeing-eye dog to share their tiny apartment in Charlestown, near Boston. Instead, he ends up chronicling his own growing acceptance of his new situation and love for the dog, Reggie. Through his investigation of Reggie's background, he comes to recognize how she's shut his eyes to what had been going on around him and also what it would be like to be truly blind. There's a lot going on in this story: making new friends, adjusting to school and family changes, dealing with flawed parents, even the training of guide dogs. Corriveau weaves in interesting information about Boston's Freedom Trail and provides significant suspense when Nicky and Reggie actually run away. Nicky's first-person narration tends to make light of his own anger-management issues, but readers will applaud when he comes to recognize and control them. An appealing boy-and-dog story. (Fiction. 9-13)

Kirkus Reviews