Yellow Dog: A Coming-of-age Novel

Jeremy is a thirteen—year—old boy living with his single—parent mother in a northern community where winters are long and stray dogs roam the streets. In the opening scene of this story, Jeremy’s been persuaded by his friend Justin to yank the tail of one of the strays, a yellow dog who seems to have no home. He does so against his better judgment, and in that moment his life changes. He instantly knows what he’s done is cruel and thus he is determined to befriend the dog - which leads to a new relationship with an old man who turns out to be the dog’s owner. In turn the old man introduces Jeremy to the lore of the sled dog tradition, and with his encouragement the boy manages to bring home three other strays who need a friend - and before long Jeremy has formed them into a sled dog team, under the old man’s tutelage. And with that, it’s not long before Jeremy discovers that he and the old man are connected in a far more powerful way.