"I'm Mattie Breen ... I'm bold and friendly"
"There are laws that says she has to be in the classroom to learn fractions and spelling and survival of the fittest. But there are not laws about going outside at recess time. And there are not laws about where to sit at lunchtime."
There is a raw honesty and a tenderness in this book which I just loved. But this is balances with some sweetly funny moments and small touches of kindness. Mattie feels like an outsider. Life confuses her. She has changed towns and schools so often. "Mama never owns more than can fit in a pickup truck." She longs to fit in. She longs to make a friend. Her anxiety makes everyday life very hard. But Mattie is a problem solver. She has worked out a terrific way to survive at her newest school. Mama and Mattie have gone to live with Uncle Potluck. Uncle Potluck is the school Janitor. Right now it is the summer holidays and because mama is at work Mattie is tagging along to the empty school to help her Uncle. Mattie thinks if Uncle Potluck will take her on as his assistant then all her worries about recess and lunch breaks and interacting with the other kids will be solved because she will be busy working as a custodial apprentice.
"She will spend the next four days writing and learning and being professional next to Uncle Potluck, proving herself worthy of being a true custodial apprentice. Proving how once school starts, he should keep her by his side, instead of making her go to lunch or recess or be with whatever wild kids might be at Mitchell P Andersen Elementary. That is Mattie's plan."
Back in her old school another student got her hands on Mattie's precious notebook. "Most nights she had slept easy. Until fourth grade. Until Star." - Please read chapter five to your class if you do a book talk about Hound Dog True.
But will her plan to be a janitor work? And what about the pesky girl next door called Quincy? And what if Mama wants to move them on again?
Publisher blurb Harper Collins: Do not let a mop sit overnight in water. Fix things before they get too big for fixing. Custodial wisdom: Mattie Breen writes it all down. She has just one week to convince Uncle Potluck to take her on as his custodial apprentice at Mitchell P. Anderson Elementary School. One week until school starts and she has to be the new girl again. But if she can be Uncle Potluck’s apprentice, she’ll have important work to do during lunch and recess. Work that will keep her safely away from the other fifth graders. But when her custodial wisdom goes all wrong, Mattie’s plan comes crashing down. And only then does she begin to see how one small, brave act can lead to a friend who is hound dog true.
Hound Dog True was published in 2011 and while it is perhaps still available, here in Australia is very expensive so I hope you might find a copy in a school or public library or you could read, as I did, the ebook version. Either way I highly recommend this heartfelt story which continues to linger with me. Oh and I am not going to answer your lingering questions - why is he called Uncle Potluck (read chapter 25) and what exactly does hound dog true really mean? You need to read this book to discover this for yourself. And I do need to mention this is not a book about dogs. Look below - Kirkus use the word OUTSTANDING in their review.
And I would add to this quote by Jen Robinson by saying I just wanted to find a sweet little mouse-shaped button to sew back onto Mattie's pyjamas.
"Once there lived a button named Moe. Moe was a mouse-shaped button. He was stitched onto some pyjamas with strong thread. The pyjamas belonged to a girl. She was not strong. Sometimes at night she worried. When she worried she twisted Moe on his thread until she fell asleep. Moe did not mind. One night the girl could not fall asleep. The girl worried and worried. She twisted Moe for a long time. The next day the pyjamas went to the laundromat. Moe was in the washing machine. water flooded in. The other clothes pulled and tugged at him, and Moe's strong thread snapped. ... Moe was alone. He didn't yell for help. He knew he would never be heard. Moe was lost forever."
Uncle Potluck has such a unique voice:
"I shall have to watch myself now that I know you are recording our custodial endeavours for posterity."
"As I'm sure you are aware, great writing is a solitary pursuit."
"The gourmands of Mitchel P Andersen favour pizza, and it is the rare lunch tray that even has a crust left for disposal."
"Want to give this your janitorial scrutiny?"
"And it seems like maybe I ought to be the only one doing the saluting too. For propriety's sake."
"Accomplished with dexterity and finesse."
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