I read this long ago when my mother gave me her Terhune books. As a child I focused on the story of Bruce: how the dog grew up and then became a war dog. Written between World War I and World War II, there was only one war, The Great War.

As an adult, I got the added level of the story about the war, with trench warfare and poison gas a reality. Written so soon after the end of the war, the reader gets a good view of how many Americans viewed the war and the animosity toward the "evil Huns." (All Quiet on the Western Front provides a good look at the other side of the story.) For that reason, I would be more cautious about simply handing the book over to a young person. History was a casual part of my family's dinner conversation, so I instinctively knew that the feelings shouldn't be transferred to present day.

Still, I found myself liking the book and rooting for Bruce to make it, against all odds. If you like dogs and understand the historical setting, you might like it as well. ( )

As with all the Sunnybank collie books I've read, I enjoyed this story about one of the sons of "Lad". Bruce lacks all the nobler traits of the collie breed, and especially of his sire. He doesn't seem to have two brain cells to rub together!

But one day, through the actions of a cruel man, Bruce changes, grows up, and becomes a son worthy of his father. And this intelligence awakened would be put to use in the trenches of France, in the war to end all wars. ( )