Straydog/The Blue Mirror

Two complete young adult novels by Kathe Koja, including Straydog, winner of the ASPCA's Henry Bergh Award and the Humane Societies KIND Children's Book Award, and the lush, dark fantasy, The Blue Mirror

STRAYDOG

Rachel is happiest when she's volunteering at the animal shelter, especially after she meets the feral collie she names Grrl; they're both angry and alone. When a teacher encourages her to write about it, Rachel finds another outlet for her pain and frustration. But writing about Grrl is much easier than teaching Grrl to trust her. And when Griffin, the new boy in school, devises a plan to spring Grrl from the shelter and bring her home, Rachel finds that the dog isn't the only one who must learn to trust.

"Compelling and sympathetic…Koja plumbs not only Rachel's dark and darkly funny psyche, but also what it means to be human and to make connections of love and trust."  - Publishers Weekly

"Rachel's emotional intensity, conveyed both in her fierce narrative and in long passages from her story, is compelling enough to draw readers along…Fans of tales about teen writers, or stories with animal themes, will pant after this." - Kirkus Reviews

"The strong characters, rich detail, and well-articulated emotions, interspersed with Rachel's startling writing, make a powerful story that will resonate with many teens." - Booklist

THE BLUE MIRROR

Sixteen-year-old Maggy's life consists of trying to be invisible at school, taking care of her alcoholic mother, and spending all the time she can at the Blue Mirror, a downtown café. She can lose herself there for hours with a cappuccino and her sketchbook, in which she creates a paper world she calls "The Blue Mirror." But everything changes when she meets Cole, a charismatic runaway. Maggy is intrigued by Cole's risky life on the streets and by the girls who follow him, childlike Jouly and strange Marianne. And when Cole says that he loves her, Maggy comes alive. As Maggy becomes more entwined with Cole and she looks at him with all her heart, she sees something far more dangerous than she may be capable of handling.

* "Psychologically gripping . . . Teems with characters that possess the same kind of edgy, dangerous magic as Francesca Lia Block's creations, and, like Block, Koja explores the confusion between infatuation and real love-in all its cruelty and its redemptive powers." - Publishers Weekly, starred review

"A richly embroidered tale of abuse and control highlighted with shiny threads of magic and redemption." - Kirkus Reviews

"Fans of…outsider themes will appreciate the gritty urban scenes and rhythmic language that give the book an almost surreal ambience." - School Library Journal

"Koja writes with great artistry-her words sometimes work as brushes creating paintings; her prose is close to poetry . . . This is a brief and powerful story." - KLIATT