Leslie Manning's Reviews > Lily Unleashed

We are living in an age of throwing things away. Objects we don't feel attached to anymore. Cars that aren't the latest and greatest. Clothes that are no longer in style. Food that the kids don't want. Old people when they are deemed unimportant to society. And sadly, animals--specifically dogs. While Lily Unleashed, by JD Kloster, is not specifically about throwing animals away, this book seems to fall on the heels of our throw-away society. Lily Unleashed is about a middle school girl who must grow up quickly when a particular rescue dog, Cagney, enters her life. Cagney will not only break your heart, he will help you rejoice in ways you did not expect. I learned a lot about puppy mills, but I was also reminded that there are a lot of good people out there willing to take a chance on a dog that no one else wants. We need more Lilys in the world. We need more families willing to ignore their obsession with keeping up with the Jonses. We need dog owners to understand that the best pups aren't necessarily the ones with perfect pedigrees that only survive a few years, and just because you have a dog with perfectly colored fur doesn't mean he won't have other pitfalls (Hello, Darwin!) We need to take care of our fur babies. Like the book Shilo or even the classic Charlotte's Web, Lily Unleashed reminds all of us that animals--great or small--just want to be loved. It also reminds us that forgiveness often takes as much courage as speaking out about what we feel is just.