Narrative by Kate Banks
Letters by Rupert Sheldrake
George's dog Bart seems to understand everything about him, even anticipating when he will return home. George's new neighbor and classmate, Lester, also has a dog, Bill Gates, and Lester thinks he is the smartest animal in the world. For a school science project, George and Lester decide to find out if their dogs are telepathic, based on experiments with the dog Jaytee done by the famous biologist Rupert Sheldrake.
George exchanges letters with Dr Sheldrake, and the boys soon find out that even kids can make real scientific discoveries.
Inspired by Rupert's bestselling book, Dogs that Know When Their Owners Are Coming Home, this story for 8-14 year olds demonstrates how accessible science can be.
Reviews
"As far-reaching in its implications as Darwin's theory of evolution." – Brain/Mind Bulletin
"The potential to use this fictional title to explore scientific theory is strong and quite interesting. Classrooms could take this even further by using the boys' research logs (provided in the back of the book) to analyze the data and create their own experiments." – Taylor Worley, School Library Journal
"Well-rounded characters and an interesting concept make this a solid read." – Kirkus Reviews
"This would be fantastic for animal studies, or even just the scientific method. I really appreciated the general upbeat tone of the book as well. So few middle grade books embrace positive thinking!" – Ms. Yingling Reads, books for middle school students
"Recommend to young dog owners who might like to re-create the boys’ experiment or as a kid-friendly introduction to Sheldrake’s work." – Suanne Roush, Booklist
"A real-life scientist corresponding with a fictional character—meta fun meets middle grade." – Sarah Ellis, author of Odd Man Out
