When Mr Dog Bites by Brian Conaghan

Title: When Mr Dog Bites
Author: Brian Conaghan
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
Release Date: 16th January 2014
Genre: Young Adult

Summary:
Dylan Mint has Tourette's. His life is a constant battle against Mr Dog - his inner beast that makes him tic, swear and growl. However, Mr Dog may win once and for all as, whilst at the hospital for a routine visit, he overhears a conversation between the doctor and his mum. Something is going to happen in March, and it is not good news as, apparently, he is going to die...

Determined to make the most of his last few months, he makes his own list of 'Things To Do Before I Die.'

Review:
Firstly, I would just like to say that I read this book in less than a day. Even if it was only like three hundred pages; it was such an easy and enjoyable read.

Dylan, and a lot of the plot, reminded me of The Perks of Being a Wallflower (my review of which can be found here) in regards to the innocence of the protagonist and their mental state. Like Charlie, Dylan's innocent naivety and vulnerability makes him such a likable and humourous character; it draws you straight in and makes you want to carry on reading. I think that without such a likable main character; this book would not have worked and would have been quite weak, to say the least.

Similarly, I really like how the book manages numerous different themes, which would have normally been considered quite serious, in such a lighthearted way. It is, as it says on the cover; "A story about life, death, love, sex and swearing." Whilst these themes can be quite hard to manage all at once - especially with a young audience in mind - Conaghan manages to approach the subjects with ease. This is partly down the the first person narrative used throughout, which allows the reader to see he humourous and naive way in which Dylan approaches it. This makes the book all the more enjoyable.

My only criticism of the book would be that there was not enough drama in it and it was a little predictable. Nonetheless, the plot did keep me guessing in regards the whereabouts of Dylan's dad and the events of what was happening in March.

I would like to point out that although many class this as a children's book, there is a lot of swearing in it and some of the themes are a bit inappropriate for children. I do feel, though, that losing these bits would make the book a bit boring; as the inappropriateness of the things Dylan says, is part of the books charm.

However, Bloomsbury Children are bringing out a children's version in the near future, so it will be interesting to see what they do with it...

Rating: 7/10. Cute coming-of-age story with a twist!

You can buy When Mr Dog Bites from Amazon here.