The Story of Edgar Sawtelle
Realistic Fiction
By David Wroblewski
Reviewed by Hannah Luszczek
Rated 5 out of 5 stars
The Story of Edgar Sawtelle by David Wroblewski is set in Wisconsin. Trudy and Gar Sawtelle live on a dog farm where they raise and train their special dogs and then sell them. The married couple have always wanted a child of their own. After many miscarriages, they are finally blessed with a son, Edgar, who was born without a voice. Edgar develops his own sign language and speaks to his family and dogs through sign. He has a special dog, Aldomine, who can understand his signs. After Edgar’s father suddenly dies, he begins to see his ghost. He flees into the wild with three of the family dogs, including Aldomine, in an attempt to escape the past. When Edgar returns, he is determined to find out how his father actually died. He knows Gar and his brother Claude never got along causing Edgar to be suspicious when his Uncle Claude never showed up to Gar’s funeral. Edgar convicts his uncle of poisoning his father, but will Edgar find the real truth, or experience it?
The Story of Edgar Sawtelle reveals how tough it is for a young teenager to deal with the loss of his father. Edgar couldn’t have kept his father from dying so he has to learn to accept it and move on. I think David Wroblewski set a serious tone with the book. Death and accusations are serious life obstacles that everyone will experience. With death, you have to accept it and move on. Also, when someone accuses someone else about killing someone, it’s serious. Wroblewski took his writing seriously. I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys reading mysteries and adventures. The Story of Edgar Sawtelle will leave you wondering how a boy of such a young age can get through so much in a short time.
