A Dog Man: Lord of the Fleas review by the Hobbit on 4/5/20
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Book: Dog Man: Lord of the Fleas
Author and Illustrator: Dav Pilkey
Pages: 229 (253 with added activities)
Published: 2018
Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
Age Suggestion: 8+
Warnings: None
Quick Summary: Petey tells us about an incident from his past when some of his friends betrayed him and ruined his life. He, in turn, ruined theirs. Now they are back seeking revenge! They want to hurt Petey by taking away Lil’ Petey. Then, of course, conquer the world. Can Dog Man and his friends stop this evil scheme? And will Petey survive Lil’ Petey’s knock-knock jokes?
Dog Man Lord of the Fleas Review
This is the fifth book in the Dog Man series. While it is helpful if you have read the others, it is not necessary, as each book contains a brief summary. There is a lot that happens in this book. As we start this book, Dog Man, Lil’ Petey, and 80-HD are all enjoying breakfast. When Petey was young, he was part of the critter scouts with his friends Piggy (of course a pig), Crunky (an ape) and Bub (a crocodile). On an outing they betray Petey. He is kicked out of critter scouts but gets his revenge by causing a backlash against all critter scouts. Now, the three have come back as the FLEAS (Fuzzy Little Evil Animal Squad) to get their revenge on Petey (and then conquer the world) using a robot brontosaurus.
All of our characters are caught up in the mayhem that ensues. Lil’ Petey convinces Petey to go back and help instead of trying to just save them. This is a major step in Petey’s conversion from a villain to being good. One running joke is Lil’ Petey constantly telling knock knock jokes that don’t make a lot of sense (but help win the battle against the FLEAS). In the end, the FLEAS are shrunk, defeated (in a very humorous way), and disappear (but Dog Man has suddenly developed the need to scratch himself…)
The primary point of this book is Lil’ Petey convincing Petey to be good. And it starts to work, not because of great arguments or reasoning, but because of Lil’ Petey’s love for Petey. I think for anyone, but for Christians in particular, there is a lesson here. We sometimes forget that God started by loving us. We need to do the same first before we try all of those arguments.
The incident with Petey and his critter scout friends is a nod to the entire plot of Lord of the Flies. Aside from the plot, the artwork continues to endear itself. I highly recommend Dog Man Lord of the Fleas.
Discussion questions:
- What is your favorite knock-knock joke? Does it make other people laugh?
- Petey starts out not wanting Lil’ Petey to call him ‘dad” but by the end he has changed his mind. Why?
- Is revenge ever a good thing?
- At the end of the story Petey asks Lil’ Petey questions about being good. Why is being good better than being bad?
Favorite quote:
From Lil’ Petey and Petey (Lil’ Petey really gets some of the best ones in every book)
Petey: You don’t know what a rotten, horrible place this world can be….”
Lil’ Petey: “That’s why we need to be good”
If you liked our Lord of the Fleas review, check out our other Dog Man reviews:
–Fetch 22
–For Whom the Ball Rolls
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