Synopses & Reviews
In the Colorado mountain town of Steamboat Springs there must be three hundred dogs.
Jack's malamute, McKinley, is the leader of them all. But Jack, being human, has no way of knowing that. For him, his family's dog is just a great pal. And protector.
Jack cannot know that Redburn, a "leash-licking" Irish setter, is McKinley's rival for the job of head dog. The boy cannot know, with the sudden hillside appearance of a she-wolf, Lupin, that not only McKinley's job -- but his life -- is in danger. Lupin's message: Dogs free yourselves from mankind. Come join us, we who need you to replenish our diminishing wolf pack in the wild.
But imagine how a good dog, loyal to his human pup, would hear Lupin's call!
McKinley's thrilling story tells itself, as first he and the boy together encounter Lupin in a canyon perfect for an old-time ambush, and later as they try to save her from both Redburn and a neighbor, a vicious man armed with a gun and a grudge. No one -- not even McKinley -- can foresee the end.
Synopsis
The two-time Newbery Honor book writer pens the tale of a malamute sled dog torn between his wild instincts and his desire to be a "good dog" for his human family as well.
About the Author
Avi lives with his family in Denver, Colorado, and knows Steam-boat Springs well. The book is alive with the weather and the sights and smells of the mountains. The author's other novels include two Newbery Honor Books, The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle and Nothing but the Truth; The Barn; Blue Heron; The Christmas Rat, which was called "thrilling mysterious, and suspenseful" by School Library Journal in a starred review; as well as the Tales from Dimwood Forest series, the first book of which, Poppy, won the Boston Globe-Horn Book Award.