Mountain Dog

Margarita Engle; illustrations by Olga and Aleksey Ivanov

Henry Holt and Co. (BYR)

READ AN EXCERPT

BUY THE BOOK

$5.67

Henry Holt and Co. (BYR)

Holt Books for Young Readers

On Sale: 08/13/2013

ISBN: 9780805098938

224 Pages, Ages 8-12

When Tony's mother is sent to jail, he is sent to stay with a great uncle he has never met in Sierra Nevada. It is a daunting move—Tony's new world bears no semblance to his previous one. But slowly, against a remote and remarkable backdrop, the scars from Tony's troubled past begin to heal.
With his Tió and a search-and-rescue dog named Gabe by his side, he learns how to track wild animals, is welcomed to the Cowboy Church, and makes new friends at the Mountain School. Most importantly though, it is through Gabe that Tony discovers unconditional love for the first time, in Mountain Dog by Margarita Engle.
A Kirkus Reviews Best Book of 2013

Pennsylvania Young Reader's Choice A. ML, Maine Student Book Award Master List, Virginia Readers' Choice, Bank Street Best Children's Book of the Year, Illinois Rebecca Caudill YR Choice Award, Oklahoma Sequoyah YA Book Award, Kirkus Reviews Best Books of the Year, Georgia Children’s Book Award Master List

Book Excerpt
Reviews
About the Author
From the Publisher

TONY THE BOY
NO NO NO MAYBE
In my other life there were pit bulls.
The puppies weren't born vicious,
but Mom taught them how to bite,
turning meanness into money,
until she got caught.
Now...

READ THE FULL EXCERPT

Praise for Mountain Dog

“Fascinating.” —BCCB

“A thoughtful and sensitive story that touches on immigration, family, and other serious issues.” —School Library Journal

“Once again, Engle fictionalizes historical fact in a powerful, original story.” —Booklist, starred review on Hurricane Dancers

“The unique juxtaposition of poetry and cruelty creates a peculiar literary tension.” —VOYA on Hurricane Dancers

“Unique and inventive, this is highly readable historical fiction that provides plenty of fodder for discussion.” —School Library Journal on Hurricane Dancers

“Like intersecting riptides, several first-person narratives converge in this verse novel of the sixteenth century.” —The Horn Book Magazine on Hurricane Dancers

“The subject matter is an excellent introduction to the age of exploration and its consequences, showing slavery sinking its insidious roots in the Americas and the price paid by those who were there first.” —Publishers Weekly on Hurricane Dancers

“Taken individually the stories are slight, but they work together elegantly; the notes and back matter make this a great choice for classroom use.” —Kirkus Reviews on Hurricane Dancers

Reviews from Goodreads

Margarita Engle; illustrations by Olga and Aleksey Ivanov

Margarita Engle is a poet and novelist whose work has been published in many countries. Her books include The Surrender Tree, a Newbery Honor book and winner of the Jane Addams Children's Book Award, the Pura Belpré Award, the Américas Award, and the Claudia Lewis Poetry Award; The Poet Slave of Cuba, winner of the Pura Belpré Award and the Américas Award; and Hurricane Dancers, winner of the Pura Belpré Award.

Olga and Aleksey Ivanov immigrated to the United States from Russia in 2002. The husband and wife team received a classical art education in Moscow and have collaborated on over 80 children's books, including The Tall Book of Mother Goose and Charlotte's Web. They live and work together in an artist studio near Denver, Colorado.