Barney the Boat Dog is fun, warm and a delight to read for boys and girls, alike. Jim's grandson Freddie has come to stay with Barney and Jim for a few days, but Freddie's parents think Jim's getting too old to live on a narrowboat and that he should sell Whistling Jack and buy a bungalow. Jim's not at all happy about this and gets very anxious. When Jim starts sleepwalking Barney knows he must keep a careful eye on Jim and when Jim falls and breaks his leg it's Barney who comes to the rescue. Luckily, Barney has made another dog friend and so Barney manages to raise this dog's owner who calls the ambulance. Despite Jim's leg being in plaster Freddie and Jim enjoy their few days together and Jim finds a way to carry on living the life he loves - on Whistling Jack with Barney.
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Linda Newbery began by writing teenage fiction, but has now written for all ages. She has won the Costa Children's Book Prize and has twice been shor tlisted for the Carnegie Medal, as well as for the Guardian Children's Fiction Prize.
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