In the beginning, Bob created the world and all that dwelt in it, including the beasts of the air and the sea, the various landscapes, and all the people. That’s right. Not God, but Bob. While most of the time the world runs like a machine, it doesn’t help that Bob is a teenage boy who is prone to mood swings, sleeping in, and leaving a mess wherever he goes. Unfortunately, he has also decided that he is madly in love with a mortal girl, Lucy, and that his life will never be the same unless he has her. His desperation is so severe that it’s affecting the weather.

"THERE IS NO DOG is a tongue-in-cheek book that doesn’t take itself too seriously, and you shouldn’t either."

There are also other factors contributing to the natural disasters erupting on earth every other day. Bob’s mother has recently gambled away his pet Eck and is being overbearing like mothers of teenage boys tend to be. Mr. B, his personal assistant, is fed up with trying to keep him in control, and has thus decided to submit his two-weeks notice and find new employment. There is also some question as to how Bob got the job of supreme lord over earth in the first place, but like most teenagers, he is utterly convinced that everyone is out to get him.

For her part, Lucy enjoys spending her time working at the zoo and being generally content in all circumstances. She’s also decided that she would like to fall in love, as if it were that easy. And so it comes to pass that Lucy meets Bob and they fall madly in love. At least that’s what they both think happens. Having never been in love, Lucy isn’t sure what she’s feeling for Bob. He seems like the perfect guy and is deeply interested in her, but something deep inside isn’t so sure about him. It also doesn’t help that the weather has been so crazy lately.

All Bob wants to do is spend time with Lucy, but everyone seems to be on his case. Eck is doing nothing but moping around as it awaits its certain death. His mother keeps telling him over and over that falling in love with mortals can only end in disaster, but obviously she doesn’t know what it’s like to be in love. Mr. B keeps shoving reports in front of Bob to take care of minor issues. So what if the whales are dying? Bob just wants to be with Lucy! It’s like the world is ending or something, and Bob is the only one who can do anything about it.

I think it’s safe to say that we’ve all questioned whether or not there is someone up there watching and listening and helping with the craziness of life. I can’t blame Meg Rosoff for portraying the supreme being of the world as a teenage boy; if you really stop and think about it, it makes a lot of sense. It’s also pretty funny. Bob is subject to the same teenage angst that so many of us experience on a daily basis, and it’s nice to know that even people with extraordinary capabilities still get nervous when they think they’ve fallen in love. THERE IS NO DOG is a tongue-in-cheek book that doesn’t take itself too seriously, and you shouldn’t either.