Daniel Ehrenhaft

An interesting premise about a deadly canine disease that sweeps the country and one boy's efforts to protect his dog from would-be dog-killers.

Fourteen-year-old Logan Moore has a troubled life. His mother is distant, his stepfather, Robert, is hyper-critical, he has no friends, and despite his best efforts, he can't seem to avoid trouble. Then an unwanted dog he names Jack (even though it's a female) comes into his life and things finally seem to turn around. Then a disease called POS begins afflicting dogs. Soon, Logan finds himself on the run with his dog, trying to keep her alive.

The writing is strong, in a voice that kids can relate to. The pace is quick and the characters are believable. The only fault in the story is that Robert's disdain for his stepson is never explained. Beyond that, this is a solid story that kids and adults will enjoy.… (mere)

Hen Birnbaum is an average high schooler who plays bass in his girlfriend’s band and spends lots of time watching VH1 with his neighbor. But his family is not quite as it seems — his older sister, Sarah, has been missing for a year. Though his parents seem to know something about what’s going on, they insist that Sarah needs to be the one to tell Hen. So when Sarah returns without a word of explanation and asks Hen to take bass lessons from her friend Gabriel, Hen is not sure how to handle things. And as the novel progresses, neither is the reader.

There are far too many things happening in this novel. Hen’s relationship with Petra, who fronts the band first called PETRA and later called Dawson’s Freak; Hen’s friendship with the next door neighbor girl, Emma; Sarah’s sudden appearance and subsequent re-disappearance; Sarah’s attempt to keep in touch with Hen via Facebook during her second disappearance (hence the title of the novel); Hen’s reading of Gabriel’s manuscript which may or may not be autobiographical; Hen’s relationship with his parents, who seem oddly strict with their son despite their daughter’s sporadic absences. A confusing mishmash of potentially interesting storylines.… (mere)

This is the closest a book has come to making me cry. If you love dogs or have a heart this will be just as heart wrenching for you as it was for me.
Although it did almost bring me to tears the book itself was most exceptional. The writing style is unique, combing character's perspectives with news articles to make sure you get the whole story.
I honestly think this is one of the best books out there for dog lovers and someone looking for a book with a lot of emotion in it.
Jack and Logan are relatable and one can easily hypnotize with them and their troubles.… (mere)