Dog Gone

by Cynthia Chapman Willis

Overview

I never understood this before, but these days I hardly get through breakfast without thinking about running, like Dead End, from the think and sticky sadness that stains every inch of our home.
"Dead End does have a mind of his own," Cub says low.
"That doesn't make him a bad dog," I snap. "Maybe it makes him a smart dog."

Twelve-year-old Dill is desperately trying to keep her family from falling apart. Her father is always at work, her mother is gone, and their dog, Dead End, seems to be here one moment and missing the next. And big trouble is brewing. A wild pack of dogs is destroying local livestock and property, and the sheriff has ordered them to be shot. Is this where Dead End has been disappearing to? How far will Dill and her best friend Cub go to uncover the truth, and hold together the last strands of a family that seems to be unraveling?

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780312561130
Publisher:	Square Fish
Publication date:	04/27/2009
Edition description:	First Edition
Pages:	240
Product dimensions:	7.62(w) x 5.20(h) x 0.61(d)
Age Range:	8 - 12 Years

About the Author

Cynthia Chapman Willis is an editor for an educational book publisher in New York City. She wrote Dog Gone, her first novel, mostly in a café, and worked on revisions while commuting on the train. She lives in New Jersey with her family. Coming in Fall 2009 for Feiwel and Friends is Buck Fever.

Read an Excerpt

Dead End starts pulling again, yanking at my wrist. Mom had known. Right after Lyon and I made our deal, she’d taken the pooch to obedience classes, had transformed him into a good dog that didn’t run off. Everyone but Mom saw this as a flat out miracle, but her sixth sense about animals had told her that he’d become a devoted pet. And he had. Devoted to her, mostly.

That’s why, it seems to me, he’s started running again: because she’s gone. Our once warm and full home is cold and hollow, with sadness collecting like dust. Not even a day after she’d left us, the pooch started pacing and whining, pawing at the door of the master bedroom. If someone were to ask me, which no one would because I’ve made it as clear as crystal that I won’t talk about her, I’d say Dead End is searching for Mom.

I’d take off, too, even leave Virginia itself, if I could get up the guts to cut away from Lyon and G.D., I’ve whispered in the dog’s ear more than once.

Editorial Reviews

I couldn't put this down. More than a dog story, this is a many-layered tale of loss and grief, hope and triumph.” —Ann M. Martin, Newbery Honor winner and author of A Dog's Life

“Along with the emotional content comes the mystery of Dead End, with tension that continues to rise as Dill tries to determine if her dog is a killer, and, if so, how to save him.” —Booklist

“Set on a Southern farm, the author peppers her story with homey turns of phrases and strong secondary characters . . . Willis, an author to watch, keeps the narrative tightly focused on Dill and her resistance to facing her grief. This well-told story, spiced with humor and facts on animal care, has a satisfying, appealing conclusion.” —Kirkus Reviews

From the Publisher

Gr 5-8- Twelve-year-old Dylan is miserable-her mother has died, her father is working all the time, her beloved grandfather is getting sick, grown-ups are giving her pity looks, the rich boy at the stables where she works for lessons is being a jerk, and, to top it all off, her mother's dog is disappearing at the same time there are reports of dogs attacking livestock. She is totally in denial about her mother's death and the possibility that Dead End could be a killer. Luckily, Dylan has a true friend in her longtime buddy Cub, who has a more realistic approach to life. The author keeps readers in suspense about Dead End's fate until the very end, which drives the novel, although they will figure out that he is the culprit long before Dylan will even entertain the idea. Dylan and Cub are well-developed characters, and youngsters will come to care about and understand them. The author belabors her message of the need to face reality, and the book drags in parts because of it, but it could spark discussion with children dealing with difficult situations.-Nancy P. Reeder, Heathwood Hall Episcopal School, Columbia, SC

School Library Journal

Willis's debut novel skillfully navigates the subject of parental loss. Twelve-year-old Dill Macgregor has been hurting since her mother died. She tries to keep her sorrow hidden away, but her grief-stricken daddy, Lyon, and granddad, G.D., keep at her to talk about her feelings. Then Lyon goes and gives away all of Mom's animals except one, Dead End the dog. Now that Mom's gone, Dead End has started roaming; Dill and G.D. believe he's looking for her. When farmers report dogs killing their livestock, Dill fears Dead End is involved. If so, then he'll be shot and there will be one less thing to remind her of her mother. Set on a Southern farm, the author peppers her story with homey turns of phrases and strong secondary characters, such as Cub, Dill's best friend. Willis, an author to watch, keeps the narrative tightly focused on Dill and her resistance to facing her grief. This well-told story, spiced with humor and facts on animal care, has a satisfying, appealing conclusion. (Fiction. 8-12)

Kirkus Reviews