In "Notes from the Dog" by Gary Paulsen, the story follows a young boy named Johanna whose life takes an unexpected turn when he befriends a woman named Alyssa. She is recovering from cancer and has a profound impact on Johanna's perspective about life and relationships. The narrative unfolds through Johanna’s eyes as he navigates the challenges of adolescence, his responsibilities towards his family, and his blossoming friendship with Alyssa. With the help of his loyal dog, Johanna learns valuable lessons about love, friendship, and courage in the face of fear and uncertainty. [Generated by language model - please report any problems].

This book is the winner of numerous awards

This book is part of a book series called Playaway Adult Fiction .

This book is aimed at children at US 7th grade+.

This book has been graded for interest at 12 years.

This book is aimed at Young Adult readers. The term Young Adult (YA) is used for books which have the following characteristics: (1) aimed at ages 12-18 years, US grades 7-12, UK school years 8-15, (2) around 50-75k words long, (3) main character is aged 12-18 years, (4) topics include self-reflection, internal conflict vs external, analyzing life and its meaning, (5) point of view is often in the first person, and (6) swearing, violence, romance and sexuality are allowed. This book was published in 2013 by Wendy Lamb Books .

Mr. Paulsen and his wife, Ruth Wright Paulsen, an artist who has illustrated several of his books, divide their time between their home in New Mexico, a boat in the Pacific, and adventures in the wilderness.