A Dog’s Way Home
“The heartbeat of this story will stay with you for a very, very long time.”
—Gary Schmidt, Newbery Honor and Printz Honor winner
A tragic highway accident leaves eleven-year-old Abby and her beloved Shetland sheepdog, Tam, stranded at opposite ends of the North Carolina Blue Ridge Mountains. Dangers and changes fill Abby’s and Tam’s lives as the days, weeks, and seasons go by. Will faith and love be enough for them to find their way home to each other?
Inspiration
The two great loves in my childhood were dogs and reading, and they still are. My two favorites are Lassie Come Home and The Incredible Journey. The breed of dog I love the most is the Shetland sheepdog, also known as Shelties and “little Lassies.” A Dog’s Way Home is my personal love letter to Shelties and to those two great classic dog stories that were such an important part of my life.
Praise
Winner of the Dog Writers Association of America’s Maxwell Medal of Excellence and the Merial Human-Animal Bond Special Award
Finalist for Vermont’s Dorothy Canfield Fisher Award
Finalist for the Utah Beehive Award
Finalist for the Georgia Children’s Book Award
Finalist for the Iowa Children’s Choice Award
Finalist for Tennessee’s Volunteer State Book Award
“With vibrant, sympathetic characterizations, Pyron creates an inspiring portrayal of devotion and survival against all odds.”
—Publishers Weekly, starred review
“This is an uplifting tale of devotion, perseverance and love beyond boundaries, and it’s worth every taut word.”
—Kirkus Reviews
“Readers will find it tough not to flip to the final pages to find out how this heartfelt story ends. Hand this to fans of Phyllis Reynolds Naylor’s Shiloh and Kathi Appelt’s The Underneath and they will not be disappointed.”
—Booklist
“Beautifully written… I simply LOVE this book!”
—Patricia MacLachlan, Newbery Award winner