Reviewed by Faridah Nassozi for Readers' Favorite
Imagine leaving the comfort and warmth of your mother's protective
paws, only to find yourself in a life of neglect and abuse. That is how
Duke's story began, until he finally moved into his forever home with a
lovely family where he would find his place in the world. This home
promised to be just the place his mother had wished for him. To Be A
Duke, by Emily-Jane Hills Orford, is a fictional story based on the life of an
endearing puppy striving to find its place and purpose in the big human
world that surrounded him. Follow the story of the adorable puppy, as
told by Duke himself, from leaving his mother, through several homes
until he landed in his forever home, with all the trials and adjustments he
had to go through. And then came the training phase, a special time for
both Duke and his forever family, filled with pure excitement and
sometimes frustration but still a total thrill. Enjoy.
To Be A Duke by Emily-Jane Hills Orford is no ordinary puppy story. It is
an emotional narration of the trials the little puppy went through before
landing in its forever home. What was even more profound is how the
scars left behind by that life stayed with Duke for a very long time. Even if
he had found a loving family, his happiness was marred by the
uncertainty of always thinking that the new life was too good to be true
and would probably soon come to an end. The choice to let Duke tell his
story was excellent and made the story even more touching as he
narrated his experiences in the different homes. It is a really emotional
narration that will make you think twice about your actions towards dogs,
narration that will make you think twice about your actions towards dogs,
and all animals in general. You do not know the inner workings of the
mind of a puppy until you have read To Be A Duke. Emily-Jane Hills
Orford did an incredible job and it left me with a new and more
enlightened perspective on the life of dogs amidst the emotions, thrills
and humor. I could not help but laugh out loud every time Duke used
statements like "this is the life."

Reviewed by Mamta Madhavan for Readers' Favorite
To Be a Duke by Emily-Jane Hills Orford is the cute little story of Duke, a
simple doggy who comes into the life of the author after she loses her
other dog, Misty, to cancer. The book is written from Duke's point of view
and his experiences in his new home form the theme of the book. Duke is
with his new family and he keeps wondering how long he will remain with
them and how his life with them will be. Duke had problems with his
previous families, but he is happy with his new family where they look
after him well.
Dog lovers will enjoy the book. The book has its moments of sadness
when readers get to know how Duke is treated by his earlier owners and
how he is scared to be himself out of fear of being sent to another home
very soon. He finds out that his new family is different from all his
previous families where he got no love. It is heartwarming to read about
the love Duke gets from his new family and how he finally finds himself
comfortable and happy. The story is simple and made interesting by
capturing Duke's day-to-day activities. The book ends on a good note with
Duke of Orford becoming a champion and living up to his name, The
Duke. It is a story with a message that tells us how love can bring out the
best in not only humans but also animals.