Little Klein

Little Klein is the story of a little boy. And when I say little, I mean little. The youngest of four boys born to the Klein family, Harold, aka Little Klein, was the runt. At age four, he was no bigger than a two year old. He spoke so quietly that no one really paid him any mind. His mother was certain that he was not going to live because he was so small and so weak, compared to his brothers. His father, a traveling salesman who was never around, was rather ashamed of his small size.

Little Klein was really a “nothing” until LeRoy, a loveable old stray pet found him and became his friend. This is a story of a young boy who found a dog and with in, some amount of self esteem and inspiration. In the end, the book predictably has Little Klein and LeRoy saving the day when the older Klein boys fall into a spot of trouble. This is a feel good story that would make for a good drama on the big screen.

Written by Anne Ylvisaker and set in the 1940’s, this book has a “down home” feel to it and moves at a slow but steady pace. It is easy to become wrapped up in this 186 page read. The story, while complex on many levels is simplistic enough and an easy enough read to be perfect for the age group it is written for.

For a boy-meets-his-dog story, Little Klein is an interesting piece of work!

Carrie comes by her book obsession honestly, having descended from a long line of bibliophiles. She blogs about books regularly at Reading to Know and Reading My Library.