This is one of those books I have had on my school shelves for quite some time. A student read it and then asked “the question”, Have you read this book? Why no I had not gotten to it yet. So they recommend it be one I read over Spring Break. Unlike my students I grew up as a young teen during the Vietnam War. I had background knowledge they didn’t have. Dogs were used for scouting, to check out tunnels, find hidden enemies. Many of these dogs were left behind after the war.

Cracker is a dog who was paired with Rick, a young man who enlisted in the army. She had been a show dog, then the dog of a young boy who had to give her up. An ad in the newspaper is how she ended up in the army. When Rick is injured Cracker does her best to protect him. This is a story about a brave dog, a young man and his love and trust in this dog. There are some very tense moments in the book. This is definitely a book I want to pass on to my grandson Jacob. I think with some front loading of information about the Vietnam War, this will become one of his favorite books as well. ( )

Cracker is an amazing war time story that takes us on a wonderful adventure filled with: happiness, pain, and friendship as Rick and his German Shepard, Cracker, venture through Vietnam. The author gives the reader detailed descriptions of the dog training process, as well as a view of the dog handler/animal relationship. The scenes set in Vietnam also provide a close-encounter type look that makes the reader feel part of the action. Overall, Cracker is a book for anyone with a love and respect for the intelligence of dogs and an interest in how they can interact with and serve humans during times of war. And if you're looking for an awesome war story, this I the boom to read. ( )

Some parts made me teary- eyed!! A great middle grade historical fiction book. Especially for boys who love all things war - even some dog crazy girls might like it. ( )

Cracker is one of the United States Army's most valuable weapons: a German Shepherd trained to sniff out bombs, traps, and the enemy. The fate of entire platoons rests on her keen sense of smell. She's a Big Deal, and she likes it that way. Sometimes Cracker remembers when she was younger, and her previous owner would feed her hot dogs and let her sleep in his bed. That was nice too.

I knew what I was getting myself into just by looking at the cover. A dog (German Shepherd) in the Vietnam War.... Let's just say I had a feeling I would be crying before the book was over. And of course, I did cry. But it wasn't all sad.

We have had several German Shepherds as part of our family and they are amazing dogs, protective and very smart and sweet too. I love reading books from the dog's point of view. And this book does that well. The dog sees what happens in a different way than a person would and her thoughts about what happens are quite poignant and sometimes humorous.

One of the sad things about this book was how during the Vietnam War, these dogs (who are credited with saving approximately 10,000 human lives) were considered military equipment. At the end of the war, the majority of the dogs who survived were either euthanized or given to the South Vietnamese army (their fate remains unknown). The good thing is that after the Vietnam War, military policy changed and war dogs were allowed to come home. Today the policy is known as No Military Working Dog Left Behind.

Reading this book was part of my Historical Fiction genre of the month project. I do believe this book is not made for elementary school students and I am suggesting we move it to the Middle School library. There isn't much descriptive violence or bloodshed, especially considering this is a war based book. But, I just think it will appeal more to older readers.

Recommended to:
Students in grades 6 and up who like historical fiction or stories about wars. It is important that they know that the story can be quite sad at times. ( )

Interesting historical fiction set during the Vietnam War ( )