J FICTION (Grades 2-3)
My Dog, My Hero
by Betsy Byars
J BYARS
Stories about eight incredible dogs which are competing for the My Hero award. 47 pgs.
A Boy in the Doghouse
by Betsy Duffey
J DUFFEY
Because his new puppy, Lucky, is out of control, George’s parents give him the task of training him and Lucky has some training to do of his own. 84 pgs. (Look for other titles by this author.)
No One is Going to Nashville
by Mavis Jukes
J JUKES
Sonia, who plans to be a vet when she grows up, finds an ally in her stepmother when her father refuses to let her keep a stray dog for her own. 48 pgs.
The Invisible Dog
by Dick King-Smith
J KING-SMITH
Inventing an imaginary pet when her parents cannot afford a real one, seven-year-old Janie faithfully feeds the “invisible” Henry his invisible dog chow and walks him with an old leash until fate brings Henry to life. 73 pgs.
Down Girl and Sit: Smarter than Squirrels
by Lucy Nolan
J NOLAN
The story of the adventures of a dog who thinks her name is Down Girl and her next door neighbor, Sit, as they try to keep the world safe from dangerous squirrels and a frightening creature named Here Kitty Kitty. 64 pgs.
Scaredy Dog
by Jane Resh Thomas
J THOMAS
With love and understanding, Erin helps the dog she has chosen from the Humane Society grow from a frightened puppy into a happy pet. 43 pgs. (Look for other titles by this author.)
The Rosie Stories
by Cynthia Voigt
J VOIGT
Rosie, a dog who loves to eat, waits for breakfast, gets into the garbage can at lunch, and tries to join along with her family as they watch an exercise video. 48 pgs.
Silver
by Gloria Whelan
J WHELAN
Even though her dog is the runt of the litter, 10-year-old Rachel plans to train her dog to be a champion sled-dog racer. 58 pgs.
J FICTION (Grades 3-6)
End of the Race
by Laurie Halse Anderson
J ANDERSON
After treating an injured greyhound at her grandmother’s veterinary clinic, Maggie learns about the abuse of greyhounds in the dog-racing world and vows to put a stop to it. 131 pgs. (Look for other titles in the Wild at Heart series)
Sounder
by William Howard Armstrong
J ARMSTRONG
Angry and humiliated when his sharecropper father is jailed for stealing food for his family, a young black boy grows in courage and understanding with the help of the devoted dog, Sounder, in this Newbery Award-winning book. 116 pgs.
The Good Dog*
by Avi
J AVI
McKinley, a malamute, is torn between the domestic world of his human family and the wild world of Lupin, a wolf that is trying to recruit dogs to replenish the dwindling wolf pack. 243 pgs.
Because of Winn-Dixie*
by Kate DiCamillo
J DICAMILLO
Good things happen to India Opal Buloni because of her big, ugly dog, Winn-Dixie. 182 pgs.
The Original Adventures of Hank the Cowdog
by John R. Erickson
J ERICKSON
Hank the Cowdog, Head of Ranch Security, is framed for the murder of a chicken and becomes an outlaw with the coyotes.
127 pgs. (Look for other titles in the Hank the Cowdog series)
Ginger Pye*
by Eleanor Estes
J ESTES
Ginger is the Pye family’s puppy who mysteriously disappears in this Newbery Award-winning story. 250 pgs.
Jim Ugly*
by Sid Fleischman
J FLEISCHMAN
In the time of the Old West, Jake - accompanied by his dad’s mongrel dog - sets off in search of his missing father. 130 pgs.
Old Yeller*
by Fred Gipson
J GIPSON
A powerful story set in the Texas hill country about a 14-year-old boy and the ugly stray dog he comes to love. 158 pgs. (Look for other titles by this author.)
The Invisible Harry
by Marthe Jocelyn J JOCELYN
Despite her mother’s rule against pets in their apartment, Billie is unable to resist a homeless puppy and enlists the help of her scientific friend Jody in making the little dog invisible. 133 pgs.
The BossQueen, Little BigBark, and the Sentinel Pup
by Sarah Clark Jordan
J JORDAN
Mina must find her place in the order of things when she and two older dogs move with OurShe into a different house, with new pack members OurHe, OurBoy, OurGirl, and That Cat. 133 pgs
Big Red
by Jim Kjelgaard
J KJELGAARD
Adventures of a champion Irish setter and a trapper’s son.
254 pgs. (Look for other titles by this author.)
Lassie Come-Home
by Eric Mowbray Knight
J KNIGHT
A classic story about the relationship between a boy and his loyal dog, and the lives of the people of Yorkshire as well. 248 pgs.
Call of the Wild*
by Jack London
J LONDON
The adventures of an unusual dog, part St. Bernard, part Scotch Shepherd that is forcibly taken to the Klondike gold fields where he eventually becomes the leader of a wolf pack. 128 pgs.
Dodi’s Prince
by Vaughn Michaels
J MICHAELS
Eight-year-old Dodi hopes to overcome the objections of her family and Texas trailer park neighbors so that she can keep the stray dog she calls Prince. 122 pgs.
Shiloh*
by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor
J NAYLOR
When he finds a lost beagle in the hills behind his West Virginia home, Marty tries to hide it from his family and the dog’s real owner, a mean-spirited man known to mistreat his dogs. 137 pgs.
The Trouble with Tuck*
by Theodore Taylor
J TAYLOR
A young girl trains her blind dog to follow and trust a guide dog. 110 pgs. (Also look for the sequel: Tuck Triumphant.)
Lad, A Dog*
by Albert Payson Terhune
J TERHUNE
This story of a thoroughbred collie is one of the best- loved dog stories of all time. 246 pgs.
Smart Dog
by Vivian Vande Velde
J VANDE VELDE
Amy’s life gets very complicated when she meets and tries to hide Sherlock, an intelligent, talking dog who has escaped from a university lab. 145 pgs.
JH FICTION (Grades 6-8)
Fire, Bed and Bone*
by Henrietta Branford
JH BRANFORD
A hunting dog recounts what happens to his beloved master, Rufus, and his family when they are arrested on suspicion of being part of the peasants’ rebellion in England in 1381. 122 pgs.
Last Dog on Earth
by Daniel Ehrenhaft
JH EHRENHAFT
Logan and his dog, Jack, are key players in an effort to find a cure for a mysterious illness that is killing most of the dogs on the West Coast. 240 pgs.
Canine Connection: Stories about Dogs and People
by Betsy Hearne
JH HEARNE
Dogs’ and peoples’ lives intertwine in 12 short stories that explore the bonds people have with dogs. 113 pgs.
Hound Heaven
by Linda Oatman High
JH HIGH
Living with her grandfather on Muckwater Mountain in West Virginia, 12-year-old Silver aggressively pursues her dream of having a dog by working to earn the money for one. 174 pgs.
Seaman: The Dog Who Explored the West with Lewis & Clark
by Gail Karwoski
JH KARWOSKI
Based on a true story, this novel tells the tale of Seaman, a Newfoundland, who proves his value as a hunter, navigator, and protector on the Lewis & Clark Expedition. 183 pgs.
Bringing Up Beauty
by Sylvia McNicoll
JH MCNICOLL
Elizabeth’s family agrees to foster a black Labrador puppy until it’s ready to be trained as a guide dog. Elizabeth is determined not to become attached to the dog, but, as time passes, she knows Beauty will have to go and it’s a hard lesson to learn. 204 pgs. (Also look for the sequel: A Different Kind of Beauty.)
* Indicates titles available on audiobook. |
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Here is a sampling of recommended fiction featuring man’s best friend, the dog. The list is subdivided by reading level. Please remember that these grade levels are only approximations and are not intended to limit the reader.
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