By Laura Elliott
Katherine Tegen Books, HarperCollins Publishers, 2020. 225 p.
Ariel is the youngest of three kids. There is George who is deployed to Afghanistan, Gloria who has just graduated from high school and is known for her beauty—in fact has just been named an Apple Blossom Princess for a big parade. Then there is the younger Ariel. Ariel who is too smart for her own good (and thus tends to only get scorn from her mother and sister and hardly any notice from her father). After one bitter family confrontation Ariel heads into the woods of the Blue Ridge Mountains—even though there is a coming storm. There Ariel discovers Duke, a German shepherd with PTSD-like symptoms who guides her to a cabin to wait out the storm. In that cabin Ariel meets Staff Sergeant Josie (a former Army K-9 handler) with her own case of PTSD. It is there in that cabin that Ariel starts to plan to make her own decisions and to be proud of herself—a plan which inevitably will lead to another grand (and public) display of disappointment from her mother and sister.
This is a good book for kids who love dogs and fight for underdogs—both animals and people. There is a lot of self-discovery and hope wrapped into one spectacular dog-show of a distraction that gets the attention not only of Ariel’s parents but the whole town. Underlying issues of army veterans dealing with PTSD, what is considered right or wrong for relationships, and some race/discrimination are all thrown in for good measure. There is a lot to unpack in this story—but kids who love animals and spunky kids like Ariel will find a lot to enjoy.
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