Cracker, The Best Dog in Vietnam by Cynthia Kadohata

After moving into a new apartment, Willie is forced to give up his best friend, a German Shepard named Cracker. She is given to the military where she becomes a scout dog after much training with her new human, Rick. I personally liked the first thought of this book because I always enjoy dog books and I always enjoy war books as well. Now that I am reading this book I love how the author is descriptive. Not only does she paint the scene in your mind perfectly but she also makes Cracker's thoughts and actions completely realistic. Cracker thinks and acts exactly as you think a dog would. I like how Kadahota wrote a book about a part of war most people don't think about, with dogs involved. I didn't even know there were scout dog platoons in the Vietnam War. Even though there was not a lot of explosions, or heads blown off, it was still exciting. There were still surprises and cliffhangers. Like the anticipation built up when Rick thinks something is wrong about the village they are searching or Cracker has to take a different jeep. Overall this book earns 8 stars out of 10. It has an interesting plot, it is realistic, it is historicly accurate, and it has plenty of thrills.