Title: Wanted: A Forever Home
Author: Janet Goodwin
Publisher: AuthorHouseUK
ISBN: 978-1-52463-301-1
Pages: 338
Genre: Juvenile Fiction/ Animals
Reviewed by: Liz Konkel
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“Wanted: A Forever Home” is a juvenile fiction novel told from the perspectives of animals. From the viewpoint of several cats and a dog named George, readers are treated to the life of strays. After reading this novel, I wanted to go hug my cats and my dog. It’s a mix of heartwarming and heartbreaking.
George is a sheepdog who loses his master to a pack of wolves. His life takes another turn for the worse when he’s given to a group of travelers who mistreat him and barely feed him. Bella is a mother cat of three who is desperate to keep her litter safe from predators. She finds her daughter from her first litter who has found a forever home with an elderly couple, owners of another cat named Senora. It’s an emotional story that makes any animal lover want to do something to make a difference, to make life better for strays.
Janet Goodwin’s view on animals is evident as each of the animals struggles to find a home. She explores animal abuse, abandonment, fear, and death through their eyes. By personifying the animals, she’s able to convey why we as people should care about what animals go through. She delivers Bella’s fear during the storm with enough emotion that made me nervous that she wouldn’t make it to safety. When George finds his master’s body, he struggles to understand what death is. The story reminds me of my personal experiences with caring for a stray, hoping that I can give them the love they deserve. There are a variety of humans presented. Most are faceless figures that come in and out of their lives. Most aren’t called anything, but a few have description titles the animals give them such as Dear Man, Dear Lady, and a friend, while the rest are told with horrific detail. Names act as part of these animal’s identities. Animals are the only ones with actual names in the novel. When Senora is picked up off the street, she establishes this need for a name, an identity, to a nameless stray whose only purpose is getting caught and taken back to the place for sterilization in order to be fed. He’s never thought about a greater purpose for his life. For animals this purpose is finding a forever home. From her lead, the newly named Smithy Magoo names four other strays. He gives them an identity and a purpose.
Forever home sounds like a cushioned term, but it perfectly describes our need to find a place to belong. Generally, people have a tendency to see animals in the way they see technology. You give a command and it does what you want. People often forget that animals may respond to emotion differently, but they can still experience fear, anger, and joy. You can’t read this novel without your heart aching for what they go through and without finding a need to go out to save every stray. Janet Goodwin displayed emotion with such skill that every time Bella is afraid, I feared for her, and every time George was mistreated, I was angry. Goodwin hits your heart with every chapter. The book targets a young audience, but anyone can benefit from reading it.
