Family Dog

Eleven-year-old Sadie’s school year is off to an awful start. Her best (and only) friend has moved away, her older brother is a jerk (as always), and her beloved Gramps is having more and more trouble keeping his memories straight. But when she comes across a stray dog, she discovers something wonderful and magical - she and the dog, Dewey, are able to communicate telepathically. Sadie knows that Dewey is destined to be her friend.

Critically-acclaimed author Monica Holloway shares the extraordinary, touching story of Cowboy, the golden retriever puppy who changed her son's life.

Cash is the puppy nobody wants - a pit-bull - a throwaway dog. A shivering wet bundle, Cash arrives in the life of twelve-year-old Mackenzie. And from that moment boy and dog share a love neither has ever known before. But when Cash is kicked out by Mackenzie’s father, she finds herself lost and alone in a cruel world. Will she ever find her boy again?

My name is Cally Louise Fisher and I haven't spoken for thirty-one days. Talking doesn't always make things happen, however much you want them to. Cally Fisher saw her mum bright and real and alive. But no one believes her, so Cally's stopped talking. A mysterious wolfhound always seems to be there when her mum appears and now he's started following her everywhere. But how can Cally convince anyone that Mum is still with them, or persuade Dad that the huge silver-grey dog is their last link with her?

Poppy and Esme (a.k.a. the Peonies) live in the same apartment building in New York City, where they share a lively, nontraditional "friend-family" and are practically inseparable. But on the last day of fifth grade, the girls' parents drop a bomb: Esme and her family are moving to California. After the shock wears off, the tweens set out to earn enough money to purchase two very special, very expensive, matching friendship necklaces. They start a dog-walking business, Peony's Prancing Pups, and the adventure begins.

The stories in Chicken Soup for the Soul will encourage listeners to stay upbeat, because there's always a brighter way to look at life. This collection includess 31 Stories about family, courage, and how to listen.

The Allen family loves their many pets, and they’re excited to adopt just one more - Henry, the bull-terrier. But why are dangerous men after him? He’s not telling, and the other pets must find out before someone in the family gets hurt: Why is Henry angry about being adopted? Can a dachshund actually concentrate for more than two minutes? What do Henry’s stalkers really want? Can a cat’s natural stubbornness foil a dastardly scheme of kidnapping and robbery?

On Sunday, November 29, 2009, more than 12.5 million families fell in love with the television adaptation of the novel A Dog Named Christmas. Within forty-eight hours after the Hallmark Hall of Fame movie aired, the initial run of twenty thousand DVDs sold out. Two years later, when Christmas with Tucker, the prequel to the McCray family stories, was released, it was described by Dean Koontz as “a perfect Christmas read,” by A. J. Jacobs as “lovely and poignant,” and by Publishers Weekly as “cute, hopeful, and heartwarming.” Now, the much-anticipated third installment, A Christmas Home, will prove to be yet another holiday classic.

When 30-year-old Lisa Forster begins to trace her family tree, she discovers her birth certificate belonged to a baby who died at four months old and is not in fact her own. Her apparently happy middle class upbringing was a myth and her parents had a dark secret. With Pete Laundon's help, Lisa sets about searching for the truth.

Olive Hudson desperately wants a dog. But that doesn't seem to be a possibility right now. Newly orphaned, she's moving in with the half sister she hardly knows, and their life is too chaotic to include a dog. But then something wonderful happens: Olive gets a chance to raise Lumie, a guide dog puppy. Discipline. Rules. Lots of hugs. Only the best of the best puppies continue on to become guide dogs, and of course Olive wants Lumie to be chosen. But if she is, that means that Olive will lose her.

For years, 10-year-old Zelly Fried has tried to convince her parents to let her have a dog. After all, practically everyone in Vermont owns a dog, and it sure could go a long way helping Zelly fit in since moving there from Brooklyn. But when her eccentric grandfather Ace hatches a ridiculous plan involving a "practice dog" named OJ, Zelly's not so sure how far she's willing to go to win a dog of her own. Is Ace's plan so crazy it just might work…or is it just plain crazy?

Ben Coffin has never felt like he fits in. A former foster kid, he keeps his head down at school to avoid bullies and spends his afternoons reading sci-fi books at the library. But that all changes when he finds a scruffy abandoned dog named Flip and befriends the librarian's daughter, Halley. For the first time, Ben starts to feel like he belongs in his own life. Then everything changes, and suddenly Ben is more alone than ever.

Zelly Fried has finally convinced her parents to let her get a dog, with the help of her grandfather Ace. Unfortunately, said dog (also named Ace) is a shoe-chewing, mud-tracking, floor-peeing kind of dog. Despite Zelly's best efforts to drag Ace (literally!) to puppy kindergarten, his flunking report card says it all: "This Ace is wild." Also wild is the other Ace in Zelly's life. Grandpa Ace has decided to begin dating again and is dining and dancing every night, against his doctor's orders. Determined to get both Aces under control, Zelly enlists the help of her two best friends, Allison and Jeremy (despite the fact that they don't quite see eye to eye).

In this brave and shocking memoir, the author masterfully guides us through the pivotal points of her life, from an abusive upbringing that destroys her self-confidence, to the wreckage of an ill-conceived marriage, and on to a defining moment, full of grace and mercy, which gave her the wings to become the conquering and triumphant phoenix she is today.

You've maybe heard the story about how John Hawkins "ran away with his pet dog". But the truth is that John and Mouse left to save Tom, and that Mouse is much more than just an ordinary dog.

When a stray dog walks into a sleepy Chiltern village, she touches the lives of many people there, but can she help the recently widowed Alfie Ellis, who has been living a kind of half life since the loss of his wife of 43 years?

Anna and her friends can't believe that pop star Frankie Santoro is coming to their school to judge a singing competition. They're going to be famous! But Anna is struggling. Her dad's working abroad, and her mum's worrying about ill baby Jack, so Anna has to keep things together. The only person she can talk to is her dog, Timmy. Anna is sure she's going to let everyone down, so she starts to dream of running away, with Timmy at her side.

New from Newbery Honor author Kirby Larson, the moving story of a Japanese American girl who is separated from her dog upon being sent to an incarceration camp during WWII. Although Mitsi Kashino and her family are swept up in the wave of anti-Japanese sentiment following the attack on Pearl Harbor, Mitsi never expects to lose her home - or her beloved dog, Dash. But, as World War II rages and people of Japanese descent are forced into incarceration camps, Mitsi is separated from Dash, her classmates, and life as she knows it.

A poignant World War II story about a boy and his dog and his dad, and the many meanings of bravery, from Newbery Honor author Kirby Larson. With World War II raging and his father fighting overseas in Europe, 11-year-old Hobie Hanson is determined to do his part to help his family and his country, even if it means giving up his beloved German shepherd, Duke. Hoping to help end the war and bring his dad home faster, Hobie decides to donate Duke to Dogs for Defense, an organization that urges Americans to "loan" their pets to the military.

Family Celebration. Is Rudy going to surprise the family with a traditional homemade Christmas dinner, for real? Choose this option if you want to hear Rudy give his family the best Christmas ever!