I am Rebel. I’m a good dog. And like any good dog, I’ll protect my human—even when he doesn’t know he’s in danger. I’ll find him and bring him home.
I am Rebel. I’m a good dog. And like any good dog, I’ll protect my human—even when he doesn’t know he’s in danger. I’ll find him and bring him home.
My name is Rebel. I’m Tom’s dog, and he’s my human. We belong to each other. And up until today, our life together has been exactly as it should be.
In fact, from the moment I wake up, I know when a day is going to be perfect. There have been so many of them here on the farm. The smell of breakfast in the air is always a fine beginning.
That wonderful scent suggests the possibility of a bacon rind tossed to the floor in my direction. It hints at yet another great morning of herding the sheep to where they need to be as Tom rubs the last bits of sleep out of his eyes. And it promises another fabulous day with my human: a scratch or two behind my ears, a few calls of “good boy,” maybe even a bit of play and a tossed stick before dinner.
That is life as it should always be. Together with Tom.
Today, however, something unsettling came to the farm as the sheep fed on grass in the Top Field. A stranger in a wolfskin coat leaned over the Top Field fence and talked to Tom about the King and taxes and rebellion.
I heard Mum and Dad talking about those things as I sat beneath a kitchen chair not long ago. They voiced their concern for the hard-handed guardsmen, the men who came to the farmhouse and smashed things. And when Mum and Dad spoke in hushed tones about the King and taxes, I could smell their worry and fear.
So, when the wolfskin coat man began talking of such things to Tom—who’s only 12 but looks 16—I leapt to my paws, barking and growling. The only thing I hate worse than a wolf is a human who can kill one. But I’m a good dog. I come when Tom calls, and when he says “No,” I stop yelling. (Though I did sit beside the fence, giving the man my best cold, hard stare.)
Then Tom did something unexpected: He climbed up on the fence and looked back at me with guilt in his eyes. “That’s it, stay. Good boy, Rebel,” he said.
My tail wagged. For that’s what I am: I’m good. Then Tom and the wolfskin-clad human strode into the trees, and within seconds I couldn’t see them anymore.
Now I’m sitting in Top Field on my own.
I can’t think of the last time I was alone like this. Even when Tom goes to market, I stay in the farmhouse with Mum and whine at the window until he gets back. There’s nothing to do when Tom’s not here. It’s not like I can talk to the sheep. I have no idea how long it’ll be until Tom returns. I might be waiting for hours.
But I’m a good dog. I come when Tom calls, and I stay when he tells me to. Good dogs do what they’re told.
So, I wait.
And wait.
This is not … right. I’m afraid that something may be terribly, terribly wrong. Tom may be in trouble, bigger trouble than he realizes. I start to wonder: What should a good dog do now?
There are no faith references made from a biblical perspective in this story. However, in his travels, Rebel meets a wild dog named Jaxon who believes wholeheartedly in an invisible “Companion” who travels with him and guides his steps. “Wherever I go, the Companion walks with me,” Jaxon declares. Rebel asks questions about this entity and its support.
And later, after a battle leaves Rebel close to death, he meets this grey-eyed and calming canine Companion. It walks with Rebel, showing Rebel sweet memories of his life. And it offers Rebel access to a heaven-like, golden cornfield in which Rebel can run and live peacefully without pain. Rebel turns back to help Tom, however, and the Companion encourages him in his dutiful choice.
Young readers could easily make a connection between the Companion and a loving God.
I Am Rebel promotes the belief that animals are self-aware and able to communicate with each other through barks, growls, squeaks, oinks and other sounds that they may make.
We don’t see much of Tom’s mum and dad. But they seem to be a balanced combination of loving parents and stern, independently strong people. We also meet a grandfather and his granddaughter who had moved their small farm into the mountains when the war caused the death of their loved ones. They aid Rebel and a badly wounded Jaxon when the two dogs limp near their hidden farmhouse. Both are patient and kind.
Tom and Rebel also meet a pair of the King’s guardsmen. This violent and harsh pair use violence and threats to force the kingdom’s citizens to submit to the King’s selfish and tyrant-like demands. It’s implied that all the many guardsmen on the road are equally destructive and hard-hearted.
Most of the characters we meet, however, are other animals who Rebel crosses paths with.
Jaxon, for instance, is a large dog who’s fiercely self-reliant and strong. He declares that he’s “Masterless” and is very reticent to get involved with a dog like Rebel, who has a “human owner.” Rebel says that his bond with Tom is one of love. But Jaxon derisively retorts that taking anything from a human comes at a price. In fact, “love is a price,” the hard-edged Jaxon states.
However, Rebel makes his belief clear: “If you haven’t got something outside of yourself to love, you might as well be nothing,” he proclaims. Eventually, Jaxon sees the truth in that. Rebel and Jaxon become friends and save one another in the face of deadly dangers.
Jaxon decides to put aside his need for wild freedom to stand by his friend. But Rebel comes to the conclusion that he shouldn’t ask the free-spirited Jaxon to live like he does. “Sometimes loving something means letting it be where it belongs,” the dog reasons.
Rebel also meets a dormouse named Felix who’s desperately searching for his lost mate and family who were displaced by the human war. Felix and his wife’s love for each other and their family is on ready display later in the story. Rebel helps Felix as well.
In fact, all of the numerous animals that Rebel meets are seemingly sincere and good individuals—except for one selfish dog, who greedily betrays Rebel for the promise of food.
Eventually, Rebel is able to piece together Tom’s situation and location. As Rebel and Jaxon travel over mountain pathways to find the boy, they encounter a raging river that Jaxon slips into, smashing him against rocks and logs. The dog is badly injured. They also face off with a pack of wolves, and Rebel is pulled off a cliff. He survives but his wolf foe falls to a broken death.
Rebel runs into the midst of a war between local farmers and the King’s troops. We’re told there are “thousands of people bellowing and screaming.” It’s a bloody affair with men and women getting gunned down and decimated by canon blasts. (The carnage is lightly described without being overly graphic.) Rebel finds Tom with a badly wounded leg and helps the bloodied boy reach safety.
None.
Rebel had to face many hardships in his search for Tom. Why do you think he was so devoted to “his boy”? How did Tom show that he was devoted to Rebel as well?
Do you have a pet? Do you think that Rebel and Tom’s love for each other is realistic? How do you think we ought to treat the pets in our lives?
Rebel and Jaxon are polar opposites in almost every way, but they became good friends. How did they overcome their differences? Can that sort of friendship happen between humans, too?
The dogs discuss the possibility of an invisible “Companion” walking by their side. Did the Companion remind you of anyone? Do you have someone like that in your life?
Tom gets caught up in the rebellion against a greedy king. What do you think the book was trying to say with that part of the story? If there are unfair things in our real world, what do you think are the best ways to face those situations?
I Am Rebel is an entertaining adventure seen through a loyal dog’s adoring eyes. The book raises thoughtful questions about the love we invest in our friendships and family and the sacrifices we make for them.
The book creatively explores Rebel’s “inner thoughts” and his perspective on the unwavering bond between he and Tom, potentially encouraging young readers to think more deeply about how they treat their own pets.
However, parents of young readers should note that I Am Rebel is also a story that wades into the peripheries of war (both in the animal domain and human world)—including its chaos and violent consequences. We read of people and animals getting badly injured and killed.
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Book reviews cover the content, themes and worldviews of fiction books, not necessarily their literary merit, and equip parents to decide whether a book is appropriate for their children. The inclusion of a book’s review does not constitute an endorsement by Focus on the Family.
After spending more than two decades touring, directing, writing and producing for Christian theater and radio (most recently for Adventures in Odyssey, which he still contributes to), Bob joined the Plugged In staff to help us focus more heavily on video games. He is also one of our primary movie reviewers.
