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Straydog
A powerful debut novel
A female collie mix, so beautiful, all gold and white and dirty; she’s in the last cage on the aisle, curled up quiet, watching everything – but when I get too close she goes completely crazy, biting at the bars, herself, anything in reach, until I back off and away. Her growl’s like ripping metal, jagged, dangerous, and strong . . . Don’t mess with me, that growl says. I may be in a cage but I can still bite.
Rachel is happiest when she’s volunteering at the animal shelter, especially after she meets the feral collie she names they’re both angry and alone. When a teacher encourages her to write about the dog, Rachel finds another outlet for her pain and frustration. Writing about Grrl is easy. But teaching Grrl to trust her is a much tougher task. And when Griffin, the new boy in school, devises a plan to bring Grrl home, Rachel finds that the dog isn’t the only one who must learn to trust.
Kathe Koja offers a raw and emotional tale about a girl who risks breaking out of her own cage to find the help she needs.
A female collie mix, so beautiful, all gold and white and dirty; she’s in the last cage on the aisle, curled up quiet, watching everything – but when I get too close she goes completely crazy, biting at the bars, herself, anything in reach, until I back off and away. Her growl’s like ripping metal, jagged, dangerous, and strong . . . Don’t mess with me, that growl says. I may be in a cage but I can still bite.
Rachel is happiest when she’s volunteering at the animal shelter, especially after she meets the feral collie she names they’re both angry and alone. When a teacher encourages her to write about the dog, Rachel finds another outlet for her pain and frustration. Writing about Grrl is easy. But teaching Grrl to trust her is a much tougher task. And when Griffin, the new boy in school, devises a plan to bring Grrl home, Rachel finds that the dog isn’t the only one who must learn to trust.
Kathe Koja offers a raw and emotional tale about a girl who risks breaking out of her own cage to find the help she needs.
112 pages, Hardcover
First published April 12, 2002
7 people are currently reading
416 people want to read
About the author
Kathe Koja
130 books935 followersKathe Koja is a writer, director and independent producer of live and virtual events. Her work combines and plays with genres, from horror to YA to historical to weird, in books like THE CIPHER, VELOCITIES, BUDDHA BOY, UNDER THE POPPY, and CATHERINE THE GHOST.
Her ongoing project is the world of DARK FACTORY https://darkfactory.club/ continuing in DARK PARK, with DARK MATTER coming out in December 2025.
She's a Detroit native, animal rights supporter, supporter of democracy, and huge fan of Emily Bronte.
Her ongoing project is the world of DARK FACTORY https://darkfactory.club/ continuing in DARK PARK, with DARK MATTER coming out in December 2025.
She's a Detroit native, animal rights supporter, supporter of democracy, and huge fan of Emily Bronte.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 69 reviews
January 23, 2008
Kathe Koja, Straydog (FSG, 2002)
Over the course of my existence I've read somewhere between fifteen and twenty thousand books. While I am one of those people who will start sniffling at the merest hint of decently-rendered emotion in a movie, and bawl like a baby when certain songs come on the radio, I've never been that way with books. With reflection, I've been able to think of three books that reduced me to tears while reading them (Wilson Rawls' Where the Red Fern Grows, Kathe Koja's Strange Angels, and Clive Barker's Sacrament). Add a fourth to the list: Kathe Koja's newest offering, the short novel Straydog.
Marketed as a young adult title (but those of us who know Koja's writing know better), Straydog is the story of a high school outcast, Rachel, who volunteers at an animal shelter while not at school. She develops a bond with a feral collie brought into the shelter one day. While writing a short story to submit to a competition, she begins to identify with the dog to an almost supernatural degree.
Koja's writing is, as always, dead on in its ability to capture and explain the essence of the outcast in society. Anyone who was part of a fringe group during high school should be able to well identify with Rachel's words, and more importantly with her actions as she's thrust into unfamiliar situations. Straydog explores adolescent coming of age in a way few books have, and shines in so doing.
As usual where Koja is concerned, there is no comparison that gives a good understanding, no way to recommend the book based on anything you've already read; Koja is still too far out on the bleeding edge for that, with a style that approaches poetry in places and the same strong undercurrent of classic surrealism that runs its way through almost all of her work. (The only book I was put in mind of while reading this is Ursula LeGuin's novel Very Far Away from Anywhere Else.)
A shoo-in for the ten-best list this year, and will probably be at its pinnacle. *****
Over the course of my existence I've read somewhere between fifteen and twenty thousand books. While I am one of those people who will start sniffling at the merest hint of decently-rendered emotion in a movie, and bawl like a baby when certain songs come on the radio, I've never been that way with books. With reflection, I've been able to think of three books that reduced me to tears while reading them (Wilson Rawls' Where the Red Fern Grows, Kathe Koja's Strange Angels, and Clive Barker's Sacrament). Add a fourth to the list: Kathe Koja's newest offering, the short novel Straydog.
Marketed as a young adult title (but those of us who know Koja's writing know better), Straydog is the story of a high school outcast, Rachel, who volunteers at an animal shelter while not at school. She develops a bond with a feral collie brought into the shelter one day. While writing a short story to submit to a competition, she begins to identify with the dog to an almost supernatural degree.
Koja's writing is, as always, dead on in its ability to capture and explain the essence of the outcast in society. Anyone who was part of a fringe group during high school should be able to well identify with Rachel's words, and more importantly with her actions as she's thrust into unfamiliar situations. Straydog explores adolescent coming of age in a way few books have, and shines in so doing.
As usual where Koja is concerned, there is no comparison that gives a good understanding, no way to recommend the book based on anything you've already read; Koja is still too far out on the bleeding edge for that, with a style that approaches poetry in places and the same strong undercurrent of classic surrealism that runs its way through almost all of her work. (The only book I was put in mind of while reading this is Ursula LeGuin's novel Very Far Away from Anywhere Else.)
A shoo-in for the ten-best list this year, and will probably be at its pinnacle. *****
November 7, 2010
A slim but very powerful novella. This is the kind of thing that makes people cry, and not just animal lovers. Grrl reminded me not only of stray dogs but also stray kids, foster kids and the like, and the good-hearted people who try to heal their wounds and make homes for them. I was deeply touched.
October 30, 2017
To me this was an "Okay" book because it does catch your attention but it's not my type of usual books and I decided to try something new. This book is about a Girl named Rachel and she is a Junior in high school, She is kind of shy but yet a good writer. Rachel Volunteer at a Dog Shelter after school just because she loves dogs then one day she goes to the shelter and sees that there is a new addition to the "family". The Dog is a female and came from the street meaning she had no name so Rachel decides to name her Grrrl because she growled a lot when people tried to get close to her. Then a new student at Rachel's high school is now in her mind and his name id Griffin the two are similar to each other because they both are good writers as well as stay t themselves most of the time. That is all i'll say for now because I'm trying to make you read the book for yourself but overall it was a short book and it took me about 2 and a half weeks to finish because I kind of am a slow reader and the words were pretty small or it was just because it was that good I didn't want it to end.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 10, 2008
Maybe if I hadn't read The Pawprints of History first I wouldn't have been so emotionally effected by Kathe Koja's startlingly good book Straydog.
In just over 100 pages, Koja tells the story of Rachel, who is a character too big for her small-world high school, and her hopeful and hopeless relationship with Grrl, an injured feral collie temporarily housed at the animal shelter where she volunteers. Rachel's writing ability, nurtured by a sympathetic English teacher, allows her to believably create a mind for Grrl, which she relates throughout the narrative. A two-hankie read.
In just over 100 pages, Koja tells the story of Rachel, who is a character too big for her small-world high school, and her hopeful and hopeless relationship with Grrl, an injured feral collie temporarily housed at the animal shelter where she volunteers. Rachel's writing ability, nurtured by a sympathetic English teacher, allows her to believably create a mind for Grrl, which she relates throughout the narrative. A two-hankie read.
February 18, 2020
OH GRRL
😭😭😭💔
😭😭😭💔
March 13, 2013
3 stars
I don't like dog books, never have even when I was little. That's more of my sister's area, but I liked this book, which is a surprise. We had to read this book as a group in class and when I first saw this book I thought "Great another Lassie story, I just can't wait to be bored to death." I know, I know it sounds mean. I know the saying don't judge a book by it's cover, but I judged it by its title, too. When I started reading this book I had no clue what it was about, because our teacher would fuss at us if we looked at the back of the book and I was surprised that this book was about a girl. Yes a girl and the girl, Rachel, was cool. She was a cynical, I-can-see-through-your-bs kinda girl and I liked that. She was funny in a dry and cynical kind of way and a talented writer. I recommend this book if your looking for a quick read with a little bit of heart.
I don't like dog books, never have even when I was little. That's more of my sister's area, but I liked this book, which is a surprise. We had to read this book as a group in class and when I first saw this book I thought "Great another Lassie story, I just can't wait to be bored to death." I know, I know it sounds mean. I know the saying don't judge a book by it's cover, but I judged it by its title, too. When I started reading this book I had no clue what it was about, because our teacher would fuss at us if we looked at the back of the book and I was surprised that this book was about a girl. Yes a girl and the girl, Rachel, was cool. She was a cynical, I-can-see-through-your-bs kinda girl and I liked that. She was funny in a dry and cynical kind of way and a talented writer. I recommend this book if your looking for a quick read with a little bit of heart.
February 13, 2008
I really liked the way the author's point came across at the end, saying how people always see themselves as the hero but it's not always true. Sometimes I feel the same way. Actually, a lot of the time.
February 12, 2025
nobody understands the bond between a girl and the mediocre book she read when she was 13
January 2, 2021
Příběh pojednává o patnáctileté Ráchel, která mezi své vrstevníky nezapadá. Jeví zájem jen o dvě věci: baví ji tvůrčí psaní a ráda pečuje o opuštěná zvířata.
Ráchel vypomáhá v útulku, kde pozná divokou toulavou fenku a pojmenuje ji Grrl.
Mladá dívka, nerovný boj zvířete s krutostí okolního světa zaznamená ve školní eseji napsanou očima "divokéhopsa". Fenka ale svůj boj o život na svobodě prohrává a Ráchel se poprvé bezprostředně setkává se smrtí. Vnímavá dívka to nese velmi těžce, reaguje agresivně i vůči svým nejbližším. Se situací se vyrovná díky pomoci nového spolužáka Griffina, podobného samorosta jako je ona.
***
Tohle je příběh, který chytne za srdce svou drsnou a zároveň dojemnou realističností.
Často jsem se ztotožňovala s hlavní hrdinkou v některých jejich názorech a postojích. Tento příběh je též hodně emotivní a bohužel nekončí happy endem.
***
Autorka Kathe Koja je známá spisovatelka hororů pro dospělé a obdivuji její rozhodnutí zkusit něco jiné a vrhnout se do příběhu pro dospívající.
Po přečtení této knihy jsem si řekla, že i já bych mohla něco zkusit napsat, vytáhla jsem deník a začala psát svůj první příběh s názve Nezkrotná láska.
Ráchel vypomáhá v útulku, kde pozná divokou toulavou fenku a pojmenuje ji Grrl.
Mladá dívka, nerovný boj zvířete s krutostí okolního světa zaznamená ve školní eseji napsanou očima "divokéhopsa". Fenka ale svůj boj o život na svobodě prohrává a Ráchel se poprvé bezprostředně setkává se smrtí. Vnímavá dívka to nese velmi těžce, reaguje agresivně i vůči svým nejbližším. Se situací se vyrovná díky pomoci nového spolužáka Griffina, podobného samorosta jako je ona.
***
Tohle je příběh, který chytne za srdce svou drsnou a zároveň dojemnou realističností.
Často jsem se ztotožňovala s hlavní hrdinkou v některých jejich názorech a postojích. Tento příběh je též hodně emotivní a bohužel nekončí happy endem.
***
Autorka Kathe Koja je známá spisovatelka hororů pro dospělé a obdivuji její rozhodnutí zkusit něco jiné a vrhnout se do příběhu pro dospívající.
Po přečtení této knihy jsem si řekla, že i já bych mohla něco zkusit napsat, vytáhla jsem deník a začala psát svůj první příběh s názve Nezkrotná láska.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 9, 2018
To me this was an "Okay" book because it does catch your attention but it's not my type of usual books and I decided to try something new. This book is about a Girl named Rachel and she is a Junior in high school, She is kind of shy but yet a good writer. Rachel Volunteer at a Dog Shelter after school just because she loves dogs then one day she goes to the shelter and sees that there is a new addition to the "family". The Dog is a female and came from the street meaning she had no name so Rachel decides to name her Grrrl because she growled a lot when people tried to get close to her. Then a new student at Rachel's high school is now in her mind and his name id Griffin the two are similar to each other because they both are good writers as well as stay t themselves most of the time. That is all i'll say for now because I'm trying to make you read the book for yourself but overall it was a short book and it took me about 2 and a half weeks to finish because I kind of am a slow reader and the words were pretty small or it was just because it was that good I didn't want it to end.
February 10, 2023
An interesting way to write a dog’s imagined perspective. Definitely raw. But uh, how did 2 minors adopt a dog?? I was thinking about that earlier, when Rachel had this all worked out: the way the dog had been acting even BEFORE the bites, there’s no way a shelter would let the dog be taken—whether “adopted” or just “fostered” to work with her—by these 2 kids—minors, with no experience working with such a dog, leaving the shelter legally liable if they get injured—or anyone else gets injured if the dog got away from them; so I wasn’t at all surprised that the story didn’t go that way, I didn’t see any way that it COULD. It seemed(?) that Rachel came to understand, finally, that this dog was in SUCH fear ALL THE TIME that A) Rachel’s presence at the end would not have brought the dog comfort, ALL people were too scary, & B ) as sad as it is, in a case like this, releasing them from that constant fear is actually a kindness. Prozac or some such anti-anxiety drug can sometimes help a merely anxious, a somewhat fearful dog, but probably not one this fearful. Could she have been released out in the wild? She didn’t know how to hunt, so she’d probably either starve or keep coming back to where people live because it’s the only place she knew how to find food—where she might attack someone who came across her accidentally, & she’d again come to the attention of Animal Control & be caught & euthanized or possibly even shot in the end anyway. I think the real tragedy happened when something happened to her nursing mama (probably hit by a car?) & no one went looking for her nursing puppies.
I’m disappointed they didn’t take one out of the kill shelter at the end, but I don’t know how they took any dog at all; one of the parents would have had to legally be the adopter.
I actually wonder if the author had written the “straydog” essay & it was too short to publish on its own so she added the rest of the story around it so it was long enough to publish as a book. The essay part itself is the real prize-winner here.
I’m disappointed they didn’t take one out of the kill shelter at the end, but I don’t know how they took any dog at all; one of the parents would have had to legally be the adopter.
I actually wonder if the author had written the “straydog” essay & it was too short to publish on its own so she added the rest of the story around it so it was long enough to publish as a book. The essay part itself is the real prize-winner here.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 10, 2019
Rachel is a loner much of the time. The exception is the local animal shelter where she volunteers. One day a feral collie is brought in and Rachel wants to help this stray she calls Grrl.
At school her English teacher urges her to write an essay for a contest. Rachel writes her essay scene by scene as though she is Grrl. She is emotionally connected to this Grrl.
Griffin arrives in school. He is as gifted as Rachel in writing. Both are loners, not trusting and hurt by other people. Working together is difficult for both.
This is a powerful book. It slides in some of the ugly truths about pet overpopulation, how shelters try to cope and problems with feral animals. Rachel has fallen into the trap of seeing what she wants to see, not what is there. Finding her way out of the trap is emotional.
The book is well written, fast to read and thought provoking.
At school her English teacher urges her to write an essay for a contest. Rachel writes her essay scene by scene as though she is Grrl. She is emotionally connected to this Grrl.
Griffin arrives in school. He is as gifted as Rachel in writing. Both are loners, not trusting and hurt by other people. Working together is difficult for both.
This is a powerful book. It slides in some of the ugly truths about pet overpopulation, how shelters try to cope and problems with feral animals. Rachel has fallen into the trap of seeing what she wants to see, not what is there. Finding her way out of the trap is emotional.
The book is well written, fast to read and thought provoking.
Read
May 11, 2021I thought that this book was really good. I originally only chose it because it was short but it ended up having a really good message and a great story. The story is about a young girl named Rachel who spends her free time volunteering at the local animal shelter. When a new dog arrives she instantly begins to relate with the dog and they begin to bond. Trust between the two is not something that comes easy but they end up being more similar than they think. Overall I think that the book was really good and I liked the messages about trust, loneliness, and abandonment.
February 12, 2024
I started this book and had to read it all at once! It was a marvelous description of how it feels (I've done it) to volunteer in an animal shelter and to see some beloved animals euthanized. It pulled my heart-strings! The main character seemed to have Asperger Syndrome, and that made the story even more poignant. Highly recommended for animal lovers who are not too sensitive, and for those wanting to recall being a teenager, or to know more about an Aspie teenager's experiences.
July 3, 2019
Sad, sad story. Pretty realistic regarding stray dogs and shelter life. Read this if you love animals and don’t mind being sad. It will remind you to try to adopt not buy a pet if you can and to always spay or neuter a pet when they are old enough.
December 10, 2021
Motivation for reading - I was checking out new YA books for my kids and this one about a teen who grows attached to a stray sounded like something they would enjoy. This was a quick read and poignant read. Enjoyable for dog lovers and outcasts!
January 31, 2024
I wish I could have read this in 2002, when it was first published, and I was 12 years old. I’m 34 years old now but I still loved it. I can only imagine the connection I would have had to it as pre-teen girl. Kathe Koja forever!
October 22, 2017
As much as I love Koja's adult novels, is as much as I don't care for her YA stories. The YA stories are great for teenagers. As an adult I miss the adult content.
July 29, 2018
This is one of my all time favorite books. I have yet to read it again this year, but have read it multiple times in the past. One of the first books I feel to really get me hooked on reading.
February 26, 2019
One of her best YA novels. Followed by The Blue Mirror
January 14, 2020
as a celeb i'd like to say this book wasn't very cash money at alllll!!!!!
April 27, 2020
3.5 Would likely appeal to younger/adolescent readers with a passion for dogs/animals.
May 26, 2020
Too sad and depressing
March 23, 2011
I'll read anything Kathe Koja writes. She surprises me. I can be moved out of my shell of despair (self, mostly) and feel for somebody else. Too often I can only deal on a plane of removing myself entirely. Spectator not as voyeur but just removing paranoia, fear of heartbreak, that shit. It's hard to explain. It's all messed up if I'm involved. It means everything to me those chances I can feel differently. I write this a lot about the one sided and two sided reading experiences. It's a big one for me that I keep coming back to. (If it's on my favorites shelf, chances are high it is a factor.) Yeah, it is ridiculous to say that because they aren't real and they don't sense me reading alone at night (or carrying a book with me all day like a Linus security blanket [not this one because it's really short and therefore a super fast read]). Well, no one really knows how anybody else feels. It doesn't have to be fullfilled. I love the hell out of dogs, elks, gazelles, all the creatures under and over the sea. They don't give a shit about me. Doesn't matter. I have no concept of humanity at large. It's not that it is easier to have concepts of animals at large (they sure as hell can be bastards too), just that they've got the built-in removal of me. (Cats get my tongue but it is only the proverbial one.) (Okay, my puppy does try and slip his tongue in my mouth when I'm sleeping.)
If you read the description of angsty teen girl with no friends makes friends with an equally angsty dog and think "I've read this" before, well, you haven't. It's not a by the numbers writing contest story and waiting for the future when you get to move away and dinner party buddies fall into your lap. Sensitive boys with emo haircuts and Harry Potter wardrobes don't abound. Ignore the plot description.
The raw girl doesn't fit in anywhere. It's got nothing to do with teen angst. Some people might get more used to thinks, or comfortable in skins (thinks was supposed to be things. I'll leave the typo). I'm a late bloomer, though. It took me much longer to get further. Well, this girl is only herself around dogs and in her writing. Talking to herself, and dealing in removed properties. There's a collie in the shelter who has given up on humanity because humanity has been pretty fucking awful to her. Rachel looks into the dog's eyes and identifies. Requited what? Who cares. She wants to be a hero and transform the dog's life (she names her grrl. Grooowwwwwl! That's my sexy Homer Simpson growl [Trivia: Conan O'Brien invented that, supposedly. I wanna see proof no one else in history ever growled sexily! Um, hear proof?]). Hero what?
Humanity fucks up. It's hard as hell to do anything to change what has already happened. It's hard to break out of cycles of despair and disconnectedness. It's not really about it being easier to identify with fellow downtroddens in the dog eat dog (sorry!) of life. I love Kathe Koja 'cause it's the finding the individual beats that are different to take out of the general. No soap boxes. No big sad eyes. It's what Robert Bresson said about not showing those feelings everybody has like anger and grief. Something else exists beyond that. Koja's writing takes on those different breaths and beats (somewhere in Africa the man-eating lions are drum beating like a zinger on Conan O'Brien's replacement late night show band over my pitiful attempts to describe this).
How the hell do you go about NOT trying to be the hero and just listen, anyway? I have trouble with that. I've heard it said (generalizations! aha!) that women sympathize and men wanna solve problems. I try and do the latter, for other people. Hero complexes. Redemption what? Who? Where? When? See, there's still self-expectations no matter how hard you try not to have 'em. You can get bit trying to be a hero.
But it sure is something when those words (unsaid) come together.
Straydog is about being alone and the times when identifying seems possible, and when it's all a miserable lie.
Koja writes for everybody. Straydog (and my *favorite* The Blue Mirror, as well as the marvelous Kissing the Bee, and also good Buddha Boy) is published as young adult. Koja's earliest works are horror. She's written bizarro (I'm unclear what most labelling means, except for my own lameo bookshelve tags, of course). Her latest Under the Poppy: a novel is for adult readers, after years in "only" the ya market. To hell with that. Koja is beyond labelling. It's like sticking a label on a complex person and saying they are only one thing. People are late bloomers. (One can hope. Too many people who were dicks when they were young are still dicks as old folks.)
If you read the description of angsty teen girl with no friends makes friends with an equally angsty dog and think "I've read this" before, well, you haven't. It's not a by the numbers writing contest story and waiting for the future when you get to move away and dinner party buddies fall into your lap. Sensitive boys with emo haircuts and Harry Potter wardrobes don't abound. Ignore the plot description.
The raw girl doesn't fit in anywhere. It's got nothing to do with teen angst. Some people might get more used to thinks, or comfortable in skins (thinks was supposed to be things. I'll leave the typo). I'm a late bloomer, though. It took me much longer to get further. Well, this girl is only herself around dogs and in her writing. Talking to herself, and dealing in removed properties. There's a collie in the shelter who has given up on humanity because humanity has been pretty fucking awful to her. Rachel looks into the dog's eyes and identifies. Requited what? Who cares. She wants to be a hero and transform the dog's life (she names her grrl. Grooowwwwwl! That's my sexy Homer Simpson growl [Trivia: Conan O'Brien invented that, supposedly. I wanna see proof no one else in history ever growled sexily! Um, hear proof?]). Hero what?
Humanity fucks up. It's hard as hell to do anything to change what has already happened. It's hard to break out of cycles of despair and disconnectedness. It's not really about it being easier to identify with fellow downtroddens in the dog eat dog (sorry!) of life. I love Kathe Koja 'cause it's the finding the individual beats that are different to take out of the general. No soap boxes. No big sad eyes. It's what Robert Bresson said about not showing those feelings everybody has like anger and grief. Something else exists beyond that. Koja's writing takes on those different breaths and beats (somewhere in Africa the man-eating lions are drum beating like a zinger on Conan O'Brien's replacement late night show band over my pitiful attempts to describe this).
How the hell do you go about NOT trying to be the hero and just listen, anyway? I have trouble with that. I've heard it said (generalizations! aha!) that women sympathize and men wanna solve problems. I try and do the latter, for other people. Hero complexes. Redemption what? Who? Where? When? See, there's still self-expectations no matter how hard you try not to have 'em. You can get bit trying to be a hero.
But it sure is something when those words (unsaid) come together.
Straydog is about being alone and the times when identifying seems possible, and when it's all a miserable lie.
Koja writes for everybody. Straydog (and my *favorite* The Blue Mirror, as well as the marvelous Kissing the Bee, and also good Buddha Boy) is published as young adult. Koja's earliest works are horror. She's written bizarro (I'm unclear what most labelling means, except for my own lameo bookshelve tags, of course). Her latest Under the Poppy: a novel is for adult readers, after years in "only" the ya market. To hell with that. Koja is beyond labelling. It's like sticking a label on a complex person and saying they are only one thing. People are late bloomers. (One can hope. Too many people who were dicks when they were young are still dicks as old folks.)
January 17, 2012
Wow, this book packs a punch for both adult and YA readers. Rachel, a teenage girl who doesn't seem to fit in anywhere finds a place volunteering at an animal shelter. While there, she meets a feral collie she names "Grrl," and becomes determined to save her. Woven in the well-written story are tough life lessons about accepting one's own limitations. Animal welfare advocates will also applaud the young protagonist's assessment of her first-hand experiences of pet owner irresponsibility and its consequences:
Spay or neuter, spay or neuter, no matter how many times you tell them they don’t listen. They should have to come in and watch when we euthanize, maybe that would get it through their heads. … No wonder the shelter staff get schizo sometimes—you would to if you had to live every day on that balance, loving the animals but having to kill them.
I only wish Rachel had taken her deep compassion for animals a step further to include those on factory farms. (Several times throughout the story, she mentions getting take-out chicken dinners.) Nevertheless, Straydog is a fine example of humane literature for the hard-to-reach YA crowd; I'm pleased that I purchased it for my library.
Spay or neuter, spay or neuter, no matter how many times you tell them they don’t listen. They should have to come in and watch when we euthanize, maybe that would get it through their heads. … No wonder the shelter staff get schizo sometimes—you would to if you had to live every day on that balance, loving the animals but having to kill them.
I only wish Rachel had taken her deep compassion for animals a step further to include those on factory farms. (Several times throughout the story, she mentions getting take-out chicken dinners.) Nevertheless, Straydog is a fine example of humane literature for the hard-to-reach YA crowd; I'm pleased that I purchased it for my library.
February 2, 2012
I didn't really know how much I would like this book until I neared the end. Rachel struggles with the idea of 'fitting in' when it comes to people but she has always had a connection to animals. She spends her spare time working at the local shelter and one day a feral collie is brought in. For her writing class, she writes about the feral collie from the dog's eyes and her teacher encourages her to enter the story into a contest. During this time, she can't help but think that she can help this dog and possibly find her a home. But can you really tame a feral dog?
Edgy and gripping is the story of both Rachel and the straydog. Rachel's writing is raw and honest about what it is like to be a dog that is unwanted and to live in constant fear. The story of Rachel is also very to the point and honest about what it is like to be a misunderstood teen. I liked the length of the book as well for reluctant readers.
Does contain some language but other than that it is clean. Recommended for 13 and up.
Edgy and gripping is the story of both Rachel and the straydog. Rachel's writing is raw and honest about what it is like to be a dog that is unwanted and to live in constant fear. The story of Rachel is also very to the point and honest about what it is like to be a misunderstood teen. I liked the length of the book as well for reluctant readers.
Does contain some language but other than that it is clean. Recommended for 13 and up.
July 28, 2012
A slim YA novel about a teenage girl who works at an animal shelter and becomes obsessed with a feral collie, whom she names Grrrl, becomes determined to save from euthanasia, and identifies with more than is healthy. With that premise, you just know it won't work out well. It's very well-written, and it made me cry in Starbucks.
So far I've liked Koja's YA novels (Buddha Boy and Blue Mirror) even though they're all pretty similar: intense, bordering on stream of consciousness first person narratives about teenage artists who have an encounter with someone who teaches them about trust or love or art and changes their life for the better, in the very YA mode in which the protagonists never win the contest or save the dog or get the guy or whatever it was that they wanted initially-- and yet in the midst of their miserable life with their alcoholic mother or whatever, there is that little ray of inner hope that says they will survive.
So far I've liked Koja's YA novels (Buddha Boy and Blue Mirror) even though they're all pretty similar: intense, bordering on stream of consciousness first person narratives about teenage artists who have an encounter with someone who teaches them about trust or love or art and changes their life for the better, in the very YA mode in which the protagonists never win the contest or save the dog or get the guy or whatever it was that they wanted initially-- and yet in the midst of their miserable life with their alcoholic mother or whatever, there is that little ray of inner hope that says they will survive.
May 12, 2016
The fiction novel called the Straydog by Kathe Koja is based on a girl named Rachael volunteering at an animal shelter. Rachel finds a newly arrived collie that she names Grrl. Rachel is a compulsive writer who is inspired to work on a dog’s-eye view of street life that her creative-writing teacher urges her to finish and submit to a competition. Meanwhile, Rachel is making another connection this time with a classmate named Griffin. Griffin offers his backyard as a pen for Grrl, but Rachel returns to the shelter to discover that Grrl’s already been euthanized. Rachel gets very emotional and sad about Grrl and cannot believe that she was euthanized. The story ends on a happy note by Griffin and Rachel adopting another friendlier stray dog. Overall this book had lots of emotion and sadness but Kathe Koja does a good job ending the book with happiness and joy. I would recommend this book to anyone who is interested in dogs and volunteering for shelters.
October 24, 2020
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Re-reading it after about 15 years and I still adore it! :) This was a very important book for me when I was starting high school and I was a bit afraid to re-read it, but I still very much enjoyed it.
I think it's a shame that this book is quite underrated, because I feel like it's a great, inspiring coming of age story. The parts about Grrl were absolutely heartbreaking and I feel like a lot of teens would be able to identify with Rachel's story.
May 19, 2011
Another YA book. I must be regressing or something. Back in the 90′s Kathe Koja wrote several ‘horror’ novels that were pretty dark and disturbing (to me, anyways) and when I read that she was writing Young Adult novels I pretty much said “what the fuck?” and I wanted to try one of them. And when I saw the cover for this one I wanted to check it out even more.
I liked it. It’s not what I expected. For some reason I was thinking a YA novel would have more of a bunnies and butterflies vibe or something but this book is a bit more than that.
It’s a very short book. Basically about a young girl who feels misunderstood by everybody and volunteers at the local animal shelter where she bonds with a stray dog that is very feral and pretty much beyond hope and her attempts to save the dog from it’s fate.
I liked it. It’s not what I expected. For some reason I was thinking a YA novel would have more of a bunnies and butterflies vibe or something but this book is a bit more than that.
It’s a very short book. Basically about a young girl who feels misunderstood by everybody and volunteers at the local animal shelter where she bonds with a stray dog that is very feral and pretty much beyond hope and her attempts to save the dog from it’s fate.
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