1. Megan Rix Great fire dogs-best book ever!!!

This incredible book based on the true events of the great fire of London got me looking at the historical tragedy in whole new way.

The outstanding book is about a young boy named George who lived at the time of the plague. He meets a stray that he names Woofer and takes Woofer back to king Charles II’s palace where George eats, sleeps and works. It is not long before Woofer and the king’s dog, Tiger Lily, become best friends. One night Woofer and Tiger Lily run off not knowing what adventure lied ahead. That is all I will say as I do not want to spoil the story.

I loved the fascinating story so much that I have been considering buying another of Megan’s daring stories. I think that she described the story in a unique way that most writers cannot come up with.

This book was very emotional and I could not put it down. I would recommend it to 8-14 year olds and animal lovers however it is a bit dark for kids under the age of 8 as it involves death of a loved one. It got me much more into the great fire of London and I have researched about it much more then I used to.

I loved the part in the book when Woofer and Tiger Lily run away and stay with Annie who is another character in the brilliant book. I enjoyed all the book but the phrase “George had met Jed a couple of times before but he had never been very keen on the man,” it stood out to me because it made me feel like I would not want to end up meeting him. I also loved the way she described the man selling the dogs at the beginning of the story “On the snow-covered south side of the River Thames, a red-faced man wearing a patched, woollen green coat and a grubby, rust-coloured waistcoat stood next to a wicker basket,” I loved how much she told you about the man in just one sentence.

Although I warmed up to most of the characters I warmed up to George the most as I know how hard it is too loose a friend or family member. I think I would have warmed up to Annie much more if Megan described her better.

This is probably the best book I have ever read and I would like to say thank you to all the people who helped to make this happen from the people who gave the book to the people who choose who to put on the website.

By Tatum

2. I liked the history behind the story and the description of how the streets looked like and the fire itself. My favourite part was when the puppies escaped out of the basket and the seller had to chase them down the street. I thought it was very imaginative by the way he didn’t just go straight to his grandma’s he stopped by the bakery.

My favourite characters are the main characters Woofer and Tiger-Lily, I loved Woofer’s sapphire collar.

The bit I didn’t like was when Woofer was on the ice near the beginning at one point I thought he was going to die George was very brave to step on the ice when it was dangerous I imagined myself doing that.

I also liked the fact the author Megan Rix linked the two dogs and more information to the history of the Great Fire of London and not only that the author also linked the plague that had swept through London before the Great Fire of London started.

Over all I liked the book and when I had only read the blurb I was so desperate to read it.

Chloe     

3. I loved the book so much my favourite charter was tigerlily. I thought the history of the book was very realistic it was amazing how she got it so accurate. The best place was at the castle .the book was so amazing I have got the whole set of the book including the great fire dogs. I am just speechless of how good of an author is Meagan Rix is! The two things did enjoy and dint was all the animals dying but the ending was the best because Woofer and Tigerlily had puppies! Best line is “a mixture of Woofer and tiger lily pups”

By Eloise

4. I liked the great fire dogs because in the book Tiger lily and Woofer had puppies! And it was a nice and I thought it was child friendly to. My favourite character was woofer because he was very helpful and nice in the book. I would also like to read more books by Megan Rix because they all involve animals witch makes me want to read them. And the history was about the great fire of London and it involves Pudding Lane, London and the fire and where it happened.

By Isabella

5. I really enjoyed reading this book, because I know a lot about the Great Fire of London. At one point it was a topic that my class learnt about.

The history in this book goes back to Sunday 2nd September 1666, the day that The Great Fire of London started. It took place the year the fire happened and it is the main theme of the story.

The Key characters are Woofer and Tiger Lily (the pet spaniel of King Charles II). They are definitely not friends at the beginning, but as the story progresses, even though they come from different worlds, they turn into best friends.

This book definitely wants to make me learn more about history and The Great Fire of London. In fact I have already read several more books about this period since I read ‘The Great Fire Dogs’.

I desperately want the rest of the books by this author, especially the war ones, because I want to learn more about World War I and World War II.

This book has interesting dialogue from the first chapter- it makes you want to read more as soon as you have reached the end of Chapter one.

This book was very good and made me read it more and more- I couldn’t put it down. Since I read it I have lent it to three of my friends and they think it is brilliant as well.

By Lucas

6. I enjoyed this book; it’s a really good adventure. It was unusual because the main characters are dogs that help people and are loyal to each other. Telling the story of the Great Fire of London through dog’s eyes is interesting, I imagine dogs really did bark and wake people up, just like the two dogs woke a human character up so she could warn other people.

I enjoyed getting to know the dogs; my favourite was Woofer the small terrier. I liked exploring London and escaping from danger with them, sometimes I felt sorry for them, especially when people were unkind. The writer made me feel as though I was there; I wanted to keep reading to make sure the dogs stayed safe. At the same time, I learnt about the Great Fire of London.  The map was useful; I didn’t know that The Tower of London was so close to Pudding Lane.

I liked the look of the other Megan Rix books on the back cover; I hope to read some of them soon.

By Grace

7. The Great Fire Dogs is an action packed book that any fan of history books will know is very authentic. I think that it will be enjoyed by all ages. My favourite character is Tiger Lily because I think she is very brave to have to go through two disasters in quick succession. The dogs remind me of the book' the prince and the pauper' because one of the dogs is a stray mongrel like the pauper and one is from a large palace like the prince. It all starts in the plague when Woofer and Tiger Lily have to escape from the palace grounds because people think they spread the plague so they try and kill the dogs. Then when they escape, they find a massive fire has started and they have to escape it whilst having to compete with the humans trying to escape the fire. At the end they find some people who want to look after them and then the strays have a new home! It makes me feel sorry for everyone living in London at that time. I would want to read more books like this because it is really tense in that time with all the terrible stuff happening at that time. If there were any more books like this I would certainly read it.

Rating:8.8

By Jonasz

8. I absolutely loved this book. As am I’m not a fan of girly books, it surprised me that I enjoyed it. I simply couldn’t put it down. Personally I’d aim this book towards school years 3 through to 6, as it has an amazing story plot. In my eyes I see it as a girly book, so obviously I think that girls would prefer this. It’s about two dogs that become the best of friends and they have an amazing journey through the great fire of London. It really made my heart melt at certain bits. Also, it really showed me the true meaning of friendship. But one question always made an appearance in the book, how far will they go? One of the things that I loved is how Megan Rix put amazing description in the book. It felt that I wasn’t reading it, but witnessing it! I got very emotional at times. This is a comedic, sad and happy story! It is hard to decide which one!

By Anna

9. I think “The Great Fire Dogs” novel is one of the best books of all time, because in the beginning it describes the characters in the most beautiful way possible like George the king’s servant: Woofer George’s dog: Tiger-lily king Charles’ dog. Also Megan Rix describes the setting really well – that’s why I like this novel so much.

What makes this book enjoyable is it takes you on a trip through the poor conditions and living routines when the fire of London broke out and made people’s life living in London a horrible living hell. Another reason why I like this book so much is how the way the author describes how the characters feel and talk.

Another interesting thing is the author makes me feel warm inside and have a smile on my face and who ever reads it next. I love this book so much I wish I could read it over and over again that’s how much I love it. I wish I could tell the whole world about it then after everyone reads it we can love it together.

Also why I like this book is it makes you have a variety of emotions like I felt happy when Tiger-lily and Woofer played together all day long. Or I felt angry when some men tried to get Tiger-lily when she was lost and I felt sad when Scraps died by being put on the wheel.

By Millie

10. I really liked this book. At the start I didn’t find it very interesting but the story started to build up tension. Megan Rix is a superb author and I would now like to read more of her books because they’re also about animals. This book was about the Great Fire of London with two dogs named Woofer and Tiger Lilly. The history in this book was outstanding. I really like Michael Morpugo books and these are just like them. The book itself was the history of the Great Fire of London. Megan Rix must have tried very hard to not pretend and make it like real life/a fiction story. I would rate this book 4¹/₂ stars.  The blurb in this book made me really interested. This is what it reads. London 1666. A terrible plague has swept through the city. People live in fear of animals carrying the disease. Woofer is a lovable stray who finds a new home in the palace kitchen. Tiger Lilly is the pampered pet spaniel of King Charles II. But out in the big city a new danger strikes as a great fire sweeps across London. Overall, I would recommend this book to other children because it is exciting and I learnt about a time in history I hadn’t studied before.

By Naomi

11. I liked this book because it had excitement and made you feel sorry for the two dogs. I could always tell what the characters were feeling. I didn’t like Master Vogel because he had no feelings towards the dogs and was a bully. Tiger Lilly was really determined and so was Woofer. I liked the King because he was so easy to talk to and made you like him. He was nice and treated everyone the same. To conclude my book review, I would recommend this book to a friend. I like this book.

By Caitlin

12. This book is called The Great Fire Dogs and is written by Megan Rix. The main characters are: Woofer, Tiger Lily, Annie, Harriet (she isn’t mentioned much in the book), George and the King. George has a gran that isn’t really one of the main characters as she is only visited once in a while. Tiger Lily, Teeth and Claws were all strays until George felt for them and kept them all to be sheltered; he was such a kind-hearted man.

Annie is the cook of the palace and unfortunately doesn’t get paid, as the king is very greedy. The plague has started to spread so they would make plague drinks which would contain ginger dust, unicorn horn, etc. They would keep the cats away from the people as they were the main victims of the plague; many of them are sadly kept in cages. 

I didn’t really enjoy the book because it wasn’t really talking much about the characters and it jumps too quickly into the story. Another reason why I didn’t enjoy it was because it had a lot to do with dogs and pets, which isn’t really my type of book. That’s how I found the book; however, I would recommend it to people who enjoy historical fiction.

By Sihaam

13. I think that The Great Fire Dogs by Megan Rix is a fantastic book. I thoroughly enjoyed it and the description was so detailed, that I could really feel the sadness and the pain that some characters in the book felt. I felt the sadness when Scraps and Gran died, and when Woofer couldn’t find Tiger Lily and I felt the pain when he was badly hurt and his wound was infected. I’m not saying that I actually felt like I’d just been shot at, I’m just saying that I could have felt his emotions at the time.

I think that the most special part of the book was when Tiger Lily and Woofer became parents and had three little puppies. I could just tell from the start that their friendship meant more…

I think that the history in the book was realistic because King Charles II did love dogs and The Great Fire of London was an actual event that happened many years ago. I was intrigued to find out more about The Great Fire of London because I feel that it was so famous and important that the story must be very interesting.

I have already been looking into reading more books by Megan Rix and I know that I will really love them as I have loved this book.

I would also like to say that in my opinion, Megan Rix is an amazing author and she is my favourite!

By Caitlin

14. I really enjoyed this book, it was emotional, dramatic, and humourous in every way, from when Woofer jumped out of the basket to when Tiger-Lily had puppies!

It was really moving and I almost cried when the granny and Scraps died, but I really felt it when it said that Woofer could be dead – but life is life and in most books a few people die but the main characters live.

I really love this book and I recommend it to all people.

By Ruby

15. I think that the Great Fire Dogs by Megan Rix is an amazing book. Megan really brought to life the emotional feeling that all you have has been lost, burnt away. I think my favourite character was Humphry, the cook. He was very funny because he was bald and smeared lots of different mixtures on his head to try and make the hair grow witch never worked. He really gave the story another aspect as most of the book is of a sad nature. I think choosing 2 dogs as your main characters is quite brave because it cannot be easy to write like a dog, but I found it very realistic and it worked for me.

The history in the book was very realistic. The timeline ran through the story completely. I think only having a small number of characters was effective for this book because you could always relate back to them. I have already read an abridged version of a diary set in the Great Fire of London. I really thought the story brought the diary to life. Megan used a lot of brilliant description and I could really see the fire. I did learn a lot of the dates of the great fire of London but still think I could learn more.

I don’t think I want to read more of Megan’s books because I think it would be too much of a good thing. I think anyone could read this book because it is not very emotional apart from when Gran dies. This story is very set on Tiger Lily and Woofer though I think she could involve more people. I especially liked the dog biscuit recipes at the back of the book. My dog loved them and I loved reading the book!!

By Margo

16. I definitely enjoyed reading this book and I love how it is based on the Great Fire of London – I remember learning about this in Year 2! It was a real page turner, in fact I got told off because my head was always in it. We have some other Megan Rix books in school and I am going to read these now. I googled what life would be like in London during this time and found a virtual tour. It was then that I was able to see how realistic Megan Rix’s description was. My favourite part was when Woofer was made a royal dog.

By Khadija

17. I really enjoyed reading this book because not all of the characters were human – it makes a change. I loved Woofer and Tiger Lily. The saddest part, for me, was when George’s gram dies and Woofer gets injured. The book has some fun it to at the end when they tell you how to make your own dog biscuits. I think the setting descriptions were quite good and I think they were realistic.

By Zahid

18. Personally I was really enjoying this book because it was all about a historical event in 1666 the Great Fire of London. The story is based on a friendship between 2 puppy dogs named Tiger Lily, Woody, Allice and Woofer. I really appreciate the character of TigerLily, Woofer, Allice and woody because they were brave and worked as a team. I believe that there was a special event in the story that I like which was when the fire was burning down the buildings. I personally don’t think the book was 100% realistic. Part of it was true when the fire took place in the Bakers Street and the people were panicking about the fire, 260 people died. All the peoples with chariots came with water and put it out.

This author made me want to read her book because she used simple words and also animals as characters especially dogs. I would really like to read about the secret escape, Victory dogs abd bomber dogs.

By Akram

19. If I could depict this book in three words I would say emotional, noteworthy and without a doubt an inspirational read. This is the ideal story for animal lovers and it is now number 1 on my chart of favourite books. It hinges on two beloved dogs, one named woofer who is scruffy looking and the other is appellated Tiger Lily and is shielded by the royal king. They soon become the best of friends and actually manage to make a comeback of the Great Fire of London. These two days are adulated by George (a kitchen boy) who soon becomes the assistant dog tamer because of his love of dogs. Despite the danger the dogs went through, including trotting on cobblestones, inhaling smoke and losing each other, these dogs showed great commitment perseverance and teamwork. I really liked how the story was written and enjoyed it. I am now eager to read more books this author has written.

By Adenelle-Reynee

20. My favourite part was when the puppy meets George. It is my favourite part because it is relieving to see the puppy saved by George. I enjoyed reading it in general, but the part where the animals were blamed for the spread of the plague was unsettling to read about. This book taught me more about the history of the plague and the great fire of London. I rate it 4 stars because it is entertaining and educational. I recommend it to readers who like history.

By Megan