83 pages • 2 hours read
Gordon KormanNo More Dead Dogs
Fiction | Novel | Middle Grade | Published in 2000A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more. For select classroom titles, we also provide Teaching Guides with discussion and quiz questions to prompt student engagement.
Symbols & Motifs
Old Shep, My Pal
No More Dead Dogs centers around the fictional novel Old Shep, My Pal by fictional author Zack Paris. Old Shep, My Pal tells the story of four kids who find an injured dog. They nurse the animal, only to have it die at the end of the book. The title of Korman’s novel nods to how dogs often die at the end of award-winning books for children. The kids compare Old Shep, My Pal to such classics as Where the Red Fern Grows by Wilson Rawls and Old Yeller by Fred Gipson. Old Shep, My Pal is a symbol of antiquated ways of thinking, while Wallace’s version of the play reveals the need for change in literature. Changing Shep’s story is a catalyst for character growth throughout the novel, including the growth of antiquated-thinker, Mr. Fogelman.
The play version of Old Shep, My Pal is a form of protest to dogs that die in literature. Mr. Fogelman’s version of the play follows the historical and somber tone of the story. The characters speak in an outdated manner, and the kids learn to love Old Shep in time for the dog to die. Wallace’s suggestion to let Old Shep live resonates with the drama kids. They are sick of all the dead dogs they’ve been forced to read about and want their play to let the dog live for once. Their decision to change the ending makes the play completely depart from the novel. It also suggests that classics may not have as great an impact on young readers as the education system would like to think because the kids have no problem changing the ending to let Old Shep live.
Rachel’s Letters
Throughout the book, Rachel’s letters to Julia Roberts are a motif that reveal Rachel’s inner world. The letters are also an indication of Rachel’s dedication to acting. She lives and breathes acting and wants to feel connected to her role models. She also uses the letters as a way to work out her frustrations and confusion. She doesn’t expect an answer to any of the letters and so may write things she wouldn’t have if she’d known Julia Roberts would actually read them and write back.
Julia Roberts’s response is the plot movement that hastens the budding romance between Rachel and Wallace. Rachel is out of touch with her emotions until she reads Julia’s letter. She didn’t want to acknowledge that she liked either Wallace or his ideas for the play because doing so felt like a betrayal to serious acting. Once the play is a success and Rachel realizes she can have fun while taking acting seriously, she is open to the idea that she likes Wallace. The book’s final letter is a turning point for Rachel, as well as for her relationship with Wallace.
The Football Team
Football represents how things come full circle. At the beginning of the book, Wallace is revered for scoring one touchdown after an entire season of sitting on the bench and being of little use. Detention gets him temporarily removed from the team, where Wallace starts to change. He realizes the football guys mostly put up with him because he was part of the team, even if he didn’t do much. Once he’s no longer able to be useful, they drop him, feeling they no longer owe him anything. In their wake, Wallace is surrounded by the support of the drama club.
When the drama club similarly ditches Wallace because they think he betrayed them, Wallace comes to understand why his football teammates acted the way they did. They felt betrayed because Wallace was no longer playing, and Wallace stops blaming them for what felt like a mean decision. At the end of the book, Wallace goes back to the team, where he’ll resume sitting on the bench. It is unclear if he will also continue to be involved with the drama club, but regardless, he finds his way back to who he was prior to his winning touchdown and brings the story full circle.
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