Alpha Dog by Jennifer Ziegler

 After being dumped by her boyfriend on her birthday, seventeen-year-old Katie McAllister is looking forward to escaping from her critical and controlling mother and her backstabbing ex-best friends by attending a summer program at the University of Texas, Austin.  Katie's never had so much independence before, but she can't completely enjoy herself because her mother doesn't trust her and checks up on Katie by talking to her roommate Christine.  Although Katie's mother thinks Christine is a model student, Christine throws wild parties with her boyfriend and his band.  Katie thinks Christine is inconsiderate, but says nothing because she's afraid that if Christine says anything to her mother, Katie will be pulled from the program and brought home.  When Christine and Katie go to an animal shelter to look at a weiner dog for Christine, Katie ends up rescuing a mutt from death row.  Seamus turn out to be more than she bargained for when he chews up everything in the apartment, chases the landlady's cat, keeps Katie awake with his snoring, and basically just misbehaves every chance he gets.  Katie worries that the landlady will evict Seamus and that Christine will tell her mother about the dog, so Katie promises to fix things by making sure Seamus gets properly trained.  At obedience school, Katie learns that she needs to be the Alpha Dog.  She needs to assert herself and she needs to believe in herself if she's ever going to get Seamus to behave.  As Katie begins to take control of the situation, her self-confidence grows.  Instead of feeling powerless, she discovers she has the power within herself to take control of all aspects of her life.

Finally a cover that perfectly captures the essence of the book!   You can just tell from the maniacal look in the dog's eyes that it's going to take a strong alpha dog to bring him into line.  While some parts of the plot seem forced (would Katie's mother really trust Christine, a complete stranger?), Seamus provides enough comic relief to overcome any flaws in the novel.  Katie is a likeable character and readers will be rooting for this underdog.  The message of self-realization and self-assertion is an important one for any teenager on the brink of adulthood.  This funny and touching novel is recommended for all collections.

Four and a half stars.

tags: alpha dog  jennifer ziegler  dogs  roommates  young adult fiction  

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