Book Review: Logan's Secret by Suzanne Burke

Logan's Secret: A Retired Racing Greyhound's Amazing Survival Story - Based on a True Story (Greyhound Stories Bk 1)

by Suzanne Burke

Publisher: Greyhound Stories

Published: May 2, 2012

ASIN: B008DK3YRU

Amazon Synopsis:

Logan, the champion racing greyhound is at the top of his game.Today, he is at the racing start gate, the race begins, he takes off and gains an expert lead, but events take an unexpected turn and his life changes forever!

An exciting page turner, follow Logan on his adventurous journey as he makes a decision that launches him into a world of uncertainty, danger, and challenge. Discover the secrets he uses that help him achieve his life dream!

Logan’s Secret will teach children important values about life, and to think positively no matter what challenges they face. If you believe in yourself, you can accomplish anything! Ages 7 and up.

"A rare find that is not just a children's story, but an amazing survival story to be shared with the entire family."

- John and Susie McQuade, co-founders
Greyhound Adoption League of Texas

An inspirational action packed story for children, adults, and pet lovers. Designed for children graduating to chapter books. Contains projects at the end for children to expand their vocabulary, critical thinking skills, and creative writing skills. 

"The longest journey is the journey to a forever home."

Ages 7 and up
Short Chapter Book with Illustrations
Children's Activities

Book Links

Amazon  *  Goodreads

My Thoughts:

Based on the true story of Rapido USA's retirement and transition to a forever home, Logan's Secret is told from the point of view of Logan (Rapido USA's new name after retirement).

The book is quite short, easily read in one sitting and geared for middle-graders. The story emphasizes keeping a positive attitude and keeping your mind on your goals rather than letting yourself get bogged down by the negative.

There are several pictures in the book that appear to be sketches or pictures that have been photoshopped so they look like sketches. They add interest to the story, help to tell it and give us an emotional connection to Logan. They also show us some of the variety of coat colourings there are among greyhounds.

I liked that Logan's Secret educated us about greyhound rescue through simple storytelling. Readers learn without actually realize they are learning. For those who want to use the book as a text for learning literary skills, there is a section in the book with vocabulary to learn and questions on the story to answer. This might be helpful to classroom teachers or homeschoolers using this book.

Also at the end of the book is a chapter telling the actual story of Logan's transition from racing dog to retired racing dog. It was good to see where the author moved away from what actually happened to what she created and how she wrote the story to fill in the blanks for the portions of time where she was missing information about Logan's whereabouts. This too might be useful as a lesson in story writing.

Though the book was written for children, I found it quite engaging for adults as well. I enjoy most stories that are based on true events and this one was especially interesting because I got the opportunity to see where the story varied from the actual events.

I liked this book for its educational value about greyhound rescue and the opportunity to compare the actual true story with the fictional story. I also liked the Projects for Children section of the book. There are some interesting activities for students to do based on the book.

I think that anyone with an interest in animals, regardless of age, will appreciate this book. I gave this book 4 stars out of 5.

Thank you to the publisher for providing a copy of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review. A positive opinion was not required. All thoughts are my own. 

About the Author:

Suzanne Burke became involved with retired racing greyhounds after adopting her first retired racer, Allie in 2002. She has over twelve years experience with this breed and has been an active volunteer for one of the nation’s well known greyhound adoption groups, Greyhound Adoption League of Texas since 2002.

Her vast knowledge of this breed comes from fostering, ownership, working with lost greyhounds, and rescuing greyhounds in dire circumstances. Suzanne’s inspiration for writing Greyhound Stories is based on these experiences. Her hope is to inspire others with her stories and share the lessons she’s learned about life, love, joy, overcoming adversity, positive thinking, appreciating the simple things in life, and perhaps living a little bit more in the “now” – all through the eyes of the greyhounds that have touched her.

Author Links

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