Marvelous Mark and His No-Good Dog

Mark has no special talents. He thinks. Except talking. His best friend in Calgary had a nickname for him: Marvelous Mark Olsen and the Mighty Moving Mouth That was then. At his old school he was the life of the party; now he's friendless. His parents are busy; his baby brother, Ryan, is a pest; and Grandpa Olsen, who used to be nice, has become an old grump ever since he lost the ability to walk. Life is terrible. Then Mark meets Jet, one not-so-swift cow dog who growls when he's happy. He's foolish. Daft, says Mr. McGinness, the cattle rancher. Rather play than work. He spends all his time chasing birds. About the only thing he likes better than birds is people. He'll never amount to anything much. I need this dog, Mark told his dad. Life gets better. Then Jet has a close encounter with a tractor. Dear God, don't let that be my dog. Please. Would Jet lose a leg? What good is a three-legged dog? In the end Mark discovers that if he can love a worthless, good-for-nothing dog, well, maybe God can love a boy who talks too much.… (more)