Alex's review:

D-Day dog is a book based on a boy called Jack and the events in his life as he learns about past events from a landing over 70 years ago the shaped the history of the world, and will also shape his own future as the book progresses. It is a fair mix of action, drama, humor and fun with good pacing and relatable characters. It is interesting for the book to be able to shine a light on the past, while being set in modern times allowing people to understand everything easier. One of my personal favourite parts of the book is how it deals with the character of Kassandra, a Syrian refugee who you gradually learn more about as time progresses. It is a very interesting way to project a war story using multiple plot lines all conjoining and making it very interesting. I would recommend this book to somebody who is interested in both the history of European warfare, as well as modern times. It explores these in an amazing way and I would definitely rate this book quite highly.

Aliya's Review:

I really enjoyed reading D-Day Dog for many reasons, the main one being the characters. I loved how human the characters are – the way the author (Tom Palmer) has written them with faults and feelings and things they aren’t proud of make them seem so alive and real. For me that is not something I usually see so much in books I read. I love the representation of a variety of cultures and that it portrays the way Kasandra reacts to certain situations after leaving Syria really well.

I also learned a lot about the D-Day landings, which I had only heard about but never researched before reading this. The plot tackles somewhat sensitive and heavy information in a more light hearted way, as by writing about children learning about the D-Day landings and not someone’s personal perspective during the D-Day landings, it’s a slightly less heavy-hitting tale.

I would recommend this book to school years 6-9, as it isn’t overly complex and so could be read by 10-11 year olds, but has enough information so that 12-14 year olds would still enjoy it. My rating for this book is 4.5 out of 5 stars, as I feel that the writer could delve even deeper into the history of some of the characters and soldiers, but other than that it’s a very interesting book.

Henry's review:

This book tells the story of a boy called Jack who lives with his mum and dad. His dad has just been recruited into the army and could soon be stationed in Afghanistan. This news brought many arguments over the decision soon to be made. Jack is intrigued by the aspects of war and he is extremely proud of his dad but a recent homework project for the class trip to France triggers him to rethink his perspective of war. I really enjoyed this book as I learnt about some animals involved in D-Day, as well as the heart-warming relationship with Jack and his dog Finn. I appreciated the twist at the end of the book to do with the coach driver, and I realised that there are different perspectives of war.

Michael's review:

I enjoyed this book because of the story it was quite unique and had a few emotional parts like when Jacks Mum is sad that his Dad is going to Afghanistan to fight in the war.

I liked all the characters in the book I think they were all nice and interesting

I learned that Dogs were trained to jump out of planes I knew that they helped in the war but I never thought that they would jump out of planes

It was set around modern times and talked about D-day which happened around 6th June 1944

The story was serious and thought provoking because when Jack has to go on a trip to Normandy his parents are on the verge of a divorce.

What most stands out from the book is that it’s set in the present and talks about the different side of the world war it talks about a particular person and animal rather than the whole war.

I would highly recommend this book to other people it has an interesting story and it feels like it has multiple in the one story and talks about the other side of the war not the tanks, guns and shooting but the emotional side of it like death and tragedies.

Tom P's review:

The book I decided to read is ‘D-Day Dog’ by Tom Palmer. I enjoyed this book very much because of the way the author was able to combine the historic events of war to those of recent.

The character that I found the most interesting is Kasandra. This is because she had to flee her home country, Syria, because of war and throughout the book she always seemed to have a hard time opening up about things and her home back in Syria. Something interesting that I learnt from the book was that, during the Normandy Landings, there were such things as parachuting dogs. I found this very interesting because I never heard about these dogs but they played an important part in the landings. The plot was, in my opinion, quite serious. For example, there is talk about Jack’s father having to fight a war in Afghanistan, Kasandra’s house being destroyed and many people dying as a result of the Normandy Landings. I would definitely recommend this book to another pupil because not only is it an interesting book, it is also factual.

Scarlett's review:

I find that the bus driver is a very interesting person. At the beginning, he seems like a normal and rather grumpy man, but we discover that he used to be in the war, and whilst Jack (the main character) talks to him during the bus journeys, we discover that he is in fact an old war hero. Through the whole book, more secrets are revealed about him, and he becomes a very likeable person.

I didn’t really like Jack. He had a very nice relationship with his dog, and I share some of his opinions, but he never thinks before he speaks, he worries way too much, and I find that he is really rude to all the teachers and grown-ups.

I never knew that D-day had existed. I was interested to learn that they used dogs to sniff out landmines, and that there was a story about every single one of them. I find the use of the dogs sad, but clever.

The book was all about the World War. I have read many other books about the world war and this one was just as interesting, because you learn about it from a child's perspective, and from the present day. The plot of the book was exciting, sad and heart-felt. Different parts were filled with love, sadness, desperation, but happiness as well. What stands out the most in the story is the relationship between Jack and his dog. They both trust each other with such devotion and love, that it is really quiet touching.

I would definitely recommend this book to other students. It is incredibly well written and filled with exciting moments. With every history book I read, I learn something new, and this book is no exception. I learned all about the different animals they used in the war, and all the different types of animals, the trust that grows between people, and all the rest.

Niyam's review:

The book D-day Dog is a thought –provoking book about a boy name Jack. Jack lives with his parents and his dad is an air Army Reserve soldier. Jack loves war and fighting. However, he finds out what really happens in war later in the book and his views on war change.

I found Jack most interesting as he gives us a feeling as to how it would be to be in his boots, having a father who is called to action and his thoughts as he discovers tragic facts about what happened in the past and what is happening currently

From reading this book I learnt how crucial and important animals were in the war. It taught me that soldiers were not the only ones who gave their life for us and we should be thanking them too. The story is set in the twentieth century and this makes the story more interesting because it makes me curious to what the modern approaches and thoughts are towards finding the great truths of the past.

I would highly recommend this to any readers as it really does make you think of the events and things that happened then and teaches you many components to war that you may not have really thought about before but makes you more aware and knowledgeable. 5 stars!