Sunday, November 16, 2008

The Trouble with Tuck- Realistic Fiction

The Trouble with Tuck is a realistic fiction story about a girl named Helen and her dog, Friar Tuck. I fell in love with this story the first time that I read it in elementary school. Since then, I cannot even count how many times that I have reread it. Helen is a young girl going through the awkward stage of her life. She is skinny and have red hair and a lot of freckles. She feels like she doesn't fit in with the other kids in school. Helen falls in love with Friar Tuck, Tuck for short, the moment she gets him. The two of them soon become best friends. They do absolutely everything together. Everything seems to be perfect until Tuck starts to act differently. He runs into things and doesn't seem to know where he is going. It is soon found out that Tuck is going blind. Helen is heartbroken. She doesn't want to lose her best friend or have him suffer in any way. She does her best to come up with a solution to help make his life as fulfilling as possible. Being a sucker for animal books, this story really touched me. I have always been very close to my dogs and I know how hard is has been for me to lose two of them over the years. Watching Tuck help Ellen get through her struggles in life reminded me a lot of myself. This story shows animals will love you the same, no matter what.

13 comments:

elaine scott said...

Trouble with Tuck is one of my favorite books to read with my students. I have used the book with several different grade levels over the years. Students always identify with Helen and her loyal dog Tuck. The book leads to great discussion. Students really appreciate how Helen grows and changes throughout the story.

jzsothside13 said...

We read Trouble with Tuck in my class. I love that book. It was on of the best books I ever read in my life. My favorite character in the book was Helen because she never gave up on Tuck. She did whatever she could to save Tuck. At the end Helen changed about how she acted. She has more confidence.

Victoria Ianno said...

I read the book Trouble with Tuck. I liked the book because Tuck was a dog who helped a girl named Helen. My favorite part was when Tuck saved Helen from drowning in a pool. I think it’s amazing because Tuck pulled Helen out of the pool. I think Tuck was a strong and smart dog.

Amy said...

In school we read the book Trouble with Tuck. I think it was interesting how Helen did not give up on Tuck. My favorite part was when Helen was training Tuck to follow Lady Dasiy because Tuck had to be a follower not a leader. My least favorite part was when Tuck got hit by a car. I was afraid Tuck will die.That’s what I felt about the book.

Rachel said...

I somewhat liked Troubled with Tuck. One of my favorite parts is when Tuck was a hero to Helen and her family. He was a dog that was not afraid of anything. Just like when he saved Helen from drowning in the pool. Or like when he saved Helen from the guy. I also loved it when Helen helped Tuck when he was blind. I recommend this book to anyone who loves dogs and who loves heartwarming books like this one.

Rebecca said...

We read Trouble with Tuck in my class. It was ok because it was not the book for me. I like books with more action. A girl becomes confident and more out going because of her dog. If you like books about dogs and their special relationship with their owner then this is your kind of book.

Freddy Aucancela said...

I didn’t like the Trouble With Tuck book because it was kinda boring. Also, there’s a lot of stories that are like this that are about a boy/girl and his/her dog. It’s just unoriginal. The book is pretty short too. It only has seventeen chapters so you can probably finish the book in a week if you actually take the time to read the whole thing.

Greg said...

I liked this book a little bit because this was a dog book. But it was not my favorite book. I’d rather read Shiloh and Old Yeller. I only liked one part of this book when Tuck and Helen ran away. I liked Old Yeller better because there were more traveling and action in that book.

Greg said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
maxine said...

In my classroom we read Trouble with Tuck. I think Trouble with Tuck is a good book. In the beginning the dog was strong and independent. At the end he was weak and dependent. Helen changed from being quiet and shy to being independent. They helped each other get over their problems.

brett said...

I think the book The Trouble with Tuck is very amazing. I read it with my class but we listened on a CD. My most favorite character is Tuck. When he was a puppy he was so cute but when he got older he started to go blind. If I had a quarter for every time Tuck saved Helen I’d be rich (I may be exaggerating on that one). Tuck saved Helen both physically and mentally.

Aidan said...

I think the book Trouble with Tuck is good. My favorite part was when Tuck defended Helen when she was attacked by a man. I did not like the part of the story when that Tuck was going blind. I liked the ending, when Tuck and Lady Daisy became friends.

Keyarra13 said...

I kind of liked the book. I don’t usually read books about dogs but this book was ok. I liked the part when Tuck saved Helen from when she almost drowned in the pool. I also liked when Helen was training Tuck to follow Lady Daisy so he could get around to places. Lady Daisy was also a help so when he wanted to cross a road or a highway he would not get hit by a car. That’s why I kind of liked the book