The Dog Runner

by Bren MacDibble

From the author of the multi-award-winning and bestselling How To Bee comes an intense and thrilling new adventure.

'We're gonna starve if we stay here,' Emery said. 'If we're gonna go, best go now.'
And he said it like going was something easy. Like all we have to do is walk away.

Ella and her brother Emery are alone in a city that's starving to death. If they are going to survive, they must get away, upcountry, to find Emery's mum. But how can two kids travel such big distances across a dry, barren, and dangerous landscape? Well, when you've got five big doggos and a dry-land dogsled, the answer is you go mushing. But when Emery is injured, Ella must find a way to navigate them through rough terrain, and even rougher encounters with desperate people...

Genres: Dystopia, Young Adult, Middle Grade, Childrens, Adventure, Survival, Family

256 pages, Paperback

First published February 4, 2019

About the author

Bren lives in Kalbarri on the amazing Coral Coast of Western Australia.

Her first children's novel: How to Bee (2017) won multiple awards, The Dog Runner (2019) and Across the Risen Sea (2020) also won and were shortlisted in multiple awards. The Raven's Song (2022) written with the amazing award-winning Zana Fraillon, has recently been launched.

All her novels are packed full of wild adventures and feature children surviving environmentally changed futures. They are stories that don't mask the realities of the world children see all around them, but do offer hope, safe fictional exploration of climate issues and examples of resilience.

Bren grew up on the land in NZ, and hopes that while children enjoy these wild adventures with colourful characters, they're also acquiring ideas and language to express themselves in whatever future awaits. "It's only by talking about it that children can express their fears and develop the critical thinking they'll need to create the solutions in the future. The natural instinct to turn away from difficult discussions has not served us well so far.'

Reviews

[Figgy]

Review to come.

Another wonderful CliFi story set in Aus and aimed at MG readers.

Unfortunately this one didn't pull me in quite like How to Bee, but it was still an engaging read and I did stay up late into the night to find out what became of these kids.

The biggest issue with this book (for me) was that it wasn't as emotional as How to Bee... So... because the author is so awesome, this one did seem to strike a little less hard... but maybe it's also just the mood I'm in right now?

Still some amazing quotes and a harrowing story of kids doing what needs to be done to survive when the world they're growing up into hasn't been properly cared for by those who came before.

[Zitong Ren · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Dog Runner by Bren MacDibble is a wonderful middle grade book that focuses on lots of issues that actually plague the world today. As she is an Australian author, the dystopian world that she has created here is wonderfully believable. In this book, a Red Fungus has destroyed essentially all crop life that have to do with grasses like wheat which has led to a major food shortage in the cities. As Australia constantly suffers from droughts that already leads to water shortages, this book is in fact not very far fetched especially with Climate Change that has made the situation even more dire over the past few years.

The book also gives me quite a warm and cozy feel, like something that I would read in bed before sleep, or a book that is read out aloud to children, which is really quite wonderful and brilliant as it is a children’s book. There are books which give you an Epic feel, like LotR, or books that doesn’t make you feel anything at all. This book makes me feel at home, and maybe it is because I’m Australian or the warm looking cover, but either way, the writing was very enjoyable and I liked it immensely.

The two main characters, especially Ella, the younger of the two children do start off being quite naive and trusting, while Emery, being four years older is a lot more cautious of the world and people around them, especially is this nation wide famine where gangs kill for resources. The five dogs were also a great addition to the book and it was evident how important they were in their journey into the country.

Though the start of the book starts on a very low point, and throughout the book the characters morale dropper even lower still, the ending brings everything back up and we see the characters rejoicing as everything is on the way to becoming much better.

I would think that for younger readers that this would be a wonderful entry into the world that we like to call dystopian and is much suited to younger readers than the likes of The Hunger Games. Middle Grade is not something I read often, like at all, but overall, I enjoyed this book well enough. 7.5/10

Edit: I was lucky to attend a workshop by her in the 4/3/2019 and it was a wonderful experience.

[Kelly (Diva Booknerd) · Rating 5 out of 5]

It begun with the fungus that spread across the expansive fields of Australia, fresh produce became a rare commodity as the pasture succumbed to infestation, animals starving, livestock perishing. The government delegated rations were barely enough to survive as friends and neighbours begin to abandon their homes. Organised syndicates roamed the neighbourhood in search for commodities, gold and precious metals traded for meagre allowances.

Siblings Ella and Emery share their small suburban apartment with their father and three canine companions, waiting for their mother to return home from the electricity station. It's been eight months since Ella has seen her mother, several weeks since the electricity blacked out and with no contact from her mother, Ella and Emery's father ventures to the station to find his wife with plans to leave the city with his family.

The city is dangerous, especially for two children and when their father doesn't return home, Ella and Emery decide to travel across the rough terrain to reach Emery's mother's farm. Along with their three dogs, two new recruits and a mushing sled, Ella and Emery will need to navigate the desolate countryside, avoiding armed offenders and learning to survive on the dying land.

The Dog Runner is harrowing and hopeful journey of two children surviving despite an environmental disaster, told from the perspective of a young lady pining for her mother. Ella is such a lovely character, intelligent but within the new world, she continues to see the best in others and in humanity. Besides her half brother Emery, Ella feels safest with her Malamute Maroochy, her loyal canine companion. From their small apartment window, Ella watches her world turning to ruin. The streets are no longer safe as a food shortage begins bringing out the worst in others. To survive, Ella and Emery are planning on sledding to Emery's mother's house, a small mushroom farm that she manages with her parents beyond the city. With communications wiped out and solar power panels being stolen, there's no way of knowing if the farm has been effected or how wide the infestation spread.

In a country reliant upon grain, a red fungus has spread throughout the city and native floral, grasslands have died, animals who normally feed off the land are starving. The narrative encourages discussion surrounding sustainable farming and sustainable living. All it takes is a bacteria or fungus introduced into our environment for our food source to completely overwhelmed. The government guaranteed rations would continue but ultimately left communities to ruin while those desperate for food begun to turn on one another.

Novels like The Dog Runner are so incredibly important, especially given the environmental state of our world. It introduces middle grade readers to issues such as biodiversity, sustainability, erosion and drought using accessible and engaging language. Although one dog sustains an injury, each dog survives. Bren Macdibble is a phenomenal middle grade author, her debut children's novel How To Bee is a thought provoking narrative of environmental impact and human development, cementing herself as a wonderful author who is conscious of our environment and how education and awareness allows us to make better choices to sustain our planet. Simply beautiful.

[Madison · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a superb, beautifully written book. Thought-provoking and action filled, The Dog Runner is an Australian, middle grade novel that is dystopian fiction at its finest. This will be sure to please teen readers and make for a fantastic class novel.

I loved every page of this book. I was a little worried about the dogs. As a dog lover, I don’t usually read books about dogs - I can’t handle any injuries or death. I am very happy to say (any maybe it’s a spoiler, but I think it’s important to share) that aside from a small injury none of the dogs are harmed or die. This book has a dog-happy ending. Can’t say the same for some kangaroos, snakes, possums or other small creatures. For those who don’t like hunting or animal deaths, there are quite a few descriptions of killing and preparing animals for food. It’s done with care, but with details.

MacDibble presents a society and world in which grass crops have all failed and animal farming has been destroyed. People in the cities and suburbs are fighting for food, waiting for deliveries from the government that aren’t coming. People are looting and rioting and gangs are roaming.

Ella, her half-brother Emery, father and mother live in a small apartment along with three dogs. They hide the dogs, as many judge them for having extra mouths to feed when food is already scarce. When Ella’s mother doesn’t return from work and her father goes out to find her and also doesn’t return, Ella and her brother escape their apartment, taking their dogs along with two others, and using a bike sled, set out across the country to try and make it to Emery’s mother’s property.

I love the integration of the Indigenous perspective in this novel. I found it so wonderful to learn a little about Indigenous plants and farming techniques. I want to learn more now. It always amazes and saddens me that there is such knowledge out there, such a wonderful history of caring for the land in ways that work, that isn’t practiced by the majority of famers today. This book is both a warning and a offers a seed of hope. It will make a fantastic starting point for a unit of investigation into Indigenous farming techniques and history.

I loved Ella. She is the main character and narrates the story. If you are looking for a strong female voice, you’ll love Ella. She’s not fearless, but she never gives up. She protects her brother, family and dogs with everything she has in her. She knows how to scavenge for food and she endures the long and hard journey they face.

This is a book about survival, doing what it takes to protect the people and animals you love and a hope for building a better future.

Find more reviews, reading age guides, content advisory, and recommendations on my blog Madison's Library

[Nemo (The ☾Moonlight☾ Library) · Rating 5 out of 5]

This review was originally posted on The Moonlight Library
I absolutely loved this book.

A climate dystopian, this book is more Middle Grade than YA, but I'm reviewing it anyway.

I read this book a few months ago after my darling little cat passed away, and I needed to read something with a pet relationship to help me process my grief.

This book is about a young girl called Ella and her bigger half-brother Emery as they cross a starving country to find Emery's family. The world has been plunged into chaos as a fungus destroyed all the grass and therefore all the food - no milk, no flour,  no meat. Ella's dad wants to get them out of the city before the population realises they have 3 big doggos, but he goes looking for Ella's mum, leaving Emery the difficult choice to take Ella, hitch the doggos to an overland sled he traded for a packet of ANZAC biscuits, and get Ella there.

But then when Emery is injured, it's up to Ella to find the way across a burnt country with enemies hiding over every dune.

This book was phenomenal to me mostly because of its voice. I really felt Ella telling the story. She's young, and her voice reflects that. I also adored her love for Emery, her terror at having to grow up so quickly, and her love especially for the lead doggo Maroochy. The kids were constantly looking for food and thinking about how to feed and care for their dogs.

This book was so powerful in its environmental message, its clear importance of family even if that family is blended, and the importance of loving your freaking doggos.

I get that it's middle grade and has to end on a positive note, but it was also published in 2019 before the world actively demonstrated how selfish, ignorant, and apathetic it is to others. How might this book have changed if it was written post-pandemic (or mid, as it is in 2022)? It may not have been published at all.

[Bridget · Rating 4 out of 5]

If Bren MacDibble or as she is otherwise known, Cally Black, writes a book, I am going to be invested in it. Her deft handling of big issues in a simple way which I'm sure will go down a treat with middle school or intermediate age kids but also with juniors at secondary school. This book has such engaging characters, a young girl and her brother. They are on a journey through the decimated Australian landscape trying to get to family who are a long way away. People are starving, a fungus has killed all the grass on all the farms and so animals are starving and food has consequently almost disappeared. These two tough young kids and their pack of big dogs survive by keeping away from people as much as possible and feed their pack by finding kangaroos and fruit they forage, it is tough, there are marauding motorbike gangs after them. The danger is palpable. The siblings travel with the dogs pulling them along on a sleigh, this enables them to move at speed but drains the dogs terribly. There is a lot to manage.

This authors interest in nature and the threat to the environment is inherently part of her writing. In this case she is warning about the dangers of monoculture and lack of diversity in the crops we grow. She is interested in making the most of native plants and in making sure that we don't deplete the land. All of this is written into a story which is exciting, not preachy and full to the brim with kindness, family and an appreciation for animals and the environment. It is a great little book.

[Michelle Worthington · Rating 4 out of 5]

What I like about Bren MacDibble is that she doesn’t preach and she doesn’t patronise her readers. So many authors like to take a stance and they then proceed to hit you over the head with their beliefs. They try to make you feel stupid for believing in what you think and often they will ridicule the reader for not believing in what they believe is true and right. Bren MacDibble doesn’t do this; she shows us what a better way is and she’s let’s us decide. She did this with the wonderful How to Bee and continues to do this with her new book The Dog Runner.
https://worthythoughts.net/2019/04/15...

[Anna Davidson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brilliant! Fast paced action story set in an imagined Australian future where a fungus has killed off all the grasses, setting off a chain reaction, which leads to people in starvation, survival mode. Beautiful messages about Aboriginal connection to the land. So many wonderful discussion points for young people about the environment and human nature. Hands down one of the best Australian books I’ve read this year.

[Vanne]

In toekomstig Australië heerst hongersnood. Schimmel heeft alle zaden aangetast. De tienjarige Ella gaat met haar broer Emerys en hun honden op reis door het land. Kunnen ze de moeder van Emerys bereiken op het platteland?

Dit Engelstalige boek is het verhaal over de tienjarige Ella die samen met haar oudere halfbroer op reis gaat door een toekomstig, dystopisch Australië waar voedsel schaars is. Een schimmel heeft alle graszaden aangetast waardoor er ook geen graan meer verbouwd kan worden. Ella en haar iets oudere broer Emerys wachten samen met hun vader op een nieuw voedselpakket. Ella’s moeder zit vast aan de andere kant van de stad. Wanneer hun vader haar gaat halen maar niet terugkomt, besluit Emerys dat het tijd is om zijn moeder op te zoeken die buiten de stad woont en paddenstoelen kweekt. Ze doen dit met een hondenslee.

Het verhaal volgt vooral de reis waarin de twee tieners en hun honden de hoofdrol spelen. Auteur Bren Macdibble, die eerder een prijs won voor het boek “How To Bee”, uit haar zorgen over onze natuur en landbouw, en toont een glimp van wat er kan gebeuren wanneer wij te maken krijgen met een ecologische ramp. Sfeervol reisverslag geschreven vanuit Ella (ik-vorm) en in diens informele dialect. Over de natuur, de agrarische monocultuur, en het gevaar van een verschraalde biodiversiteit. Een avontuur met actie, hoop en de hulp van honden.

[MissStan · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 ½ stars. This is such a page turner! Full of adventure and suspense. There were many times when I had to hold my breath as I was so worried about what might happen to Bella and Emery and their pack of dogs.
The story is set in a future Australia where grains and grasses have been destroyed by a fungus, so the ecosystem has collapsed along with civilised society. This is a frightening look into what our future might be like if we don’t make changes to protect our environment.
Definitely a recommended read!

[Linda Hill · Rating 5 out of 5]

With anarchy growing and society in meltdown, Ella’s family is being torn apart.

What an absolutely fabulous children’s story. I was gripped by Bren Mac Dibble’s The Dog Runner from start to finish. I thought it was a brilliant touch to begin the narrative with Ella borrowing Golding’s Lord of the Flies from her neighbour because themes of societal breakdown represented here echo Golding’s in an all too real possibility in today’s world. I loved the way Ella is desperate for reading material too because it gives status to an activity many youngster avoid.

In The Dog Runner, not only does the reader encounter a stark possibility for the future as we unbalance the world and its resources, but themes of loyalty, what constitutes family, the almost primeval bond between humans and dogs, love and identity (including ethnic and social) are all there to be contemplated. There is such depth to The Dog Runner that it would make a sensational class reader for children aged 9-13, but I’d like to see as many adults as possible read it too because there is a warning here for us all as well as a superbly compelling narrative.

Themes aside, The Dog Runner has a brilliant plot told at a cracking pace. It’s disconcerting, exciting and actually quite scary so that I found it impossible to put down. I had to know what happened next. I loved the concept that, although she’s young and female, Bella learns to use her wits as young readers will come to realise self belief and determination goes a long way in success. Bella is a super role model for all children.

The overall quality of the writing is so impressive too because the author never patronises her readers. There is just the right level of implied and explicit threat and violence to engage and entertain. She uses vivid and eloquent descriptions of both the environment and the characters, including the dogs, so that there is quite a cinematic feel to the read, making it exciting and vivid. I could imagine the settings so clearly as a result of the atmospheric writing.

I feel that today’s youngsters have such wonderful stories written especially for them and that Bren Mac Dibble’s The Dog Runner ranks among the very best. I recommend it most highly as a brilliant, cautionary and ultimately uplifting story.

[Trisha · Rating 4 out of 5]

Challenging and fast paced.

[Liz Derouet]

What a satisfying read. I love Ella, and Emery, and their doggos! Full review on my blog soon.

[Daisyyyyy · Rating 2 out of 5]

I had to read this for school. The concept was really good. It was just so predictable. And for all the life or death situations they went through the only consequence was a broken arm!!

[Barbara Band · Rating 5 out of 5]

Set in a dystopian Australia where a virus has destroyed the world’s grain, thus making food scarce, Ella and Emery are alone in a city that is becoming more dangerous each day. Their father has gone to find Ella’s mother and they realise that they can’t wait for him but have to move up-country to find Emery’s mum, living on a farm with her Afghan father. Ellen and Emery harness their dogs to a cart and set off across the barren land.
This is a story about a journey, fraught with danger, and about survival in difficult circumstances. People resort to violence to get food so towns and settlements have to be avoided and it is difficult to know who to trust, particularly as the dogs would make a good meal. Ellen and Emery have to keep from starving themselves so resort to eating snakes and insects, and when Emery becomes injured, Ella has to take over. A tense, gripping story of endurance and persistence with strong female protagonists, though not for the squeamish.

[Dina Lira · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a great story from Bren MacDibble! It follows our very brave characters on a journey across a desolate and depressing landscape. Emery and Ella are siblings who are in a world where a 'red fungus' has destroyed all grasses across the country and the world. This has dire consequences (grass=grains) as now food is scarce and people are waiting on food deliveries to survive. People starving and most animals have starved. The world they know has become a very dangerous place with people stealing and terrorising each to survive. The siblings decide to leave the city with their beloved doggos to go to Emery's mum's house in the country where they will be safe.
I loved these characters so much. The warmth and strength between them was so lovely. They were so there for each other and their dogs and they trusted their intuition is some scary circumstances. This novel was genuinely intense and I was hooked from the first page. I would recommend for uppper primary to early secondary as some of the scenes might be scare from younger readers.

[Eleanor · Rating 4 out of 5]

For kids ten and up. Ella and her brother Emery are living through a global emergency: a fungus has destroyed most of the planet’s crops and caused widespread food shortages. When their dad doesn’t come back from an expedition into the city, the two kids set off for Emery’s mother’s house upcountry, along with their three huge dogs. Emery and Ella have different mothers, and Emery’s is of Aboriginal descent. MacDibble deals with blended families and racial difference subtly and well; it’s mentioned when it’s relevant to the story (for instance, Emery’s grandfather, Ba, has used indigenous land management techniques to keep ancient grains alive). Adventurous and thoughtful, with a protagonist both boys and girls can relate to.

[Carole · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great read for intermediate age kids set in Australia at a time that the crops have been killed by a virus and food is scarce. Bella and her brother decide to set out with their dogs to find Emery's mother and hopefully a safer life. Plenty of action along the way, fast paced and gripping. The adults are a bit 2 dimensional, but Bella is a great character. I found the ending a little bit too tidy but given the intended audience, it works well. A perfect read for the kids who love adventure, action, dystopia and dogs.

[Jude · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love a good dystopian novel and "The Dog Runner" certainly didn't disappoint. The story is set in Australia at a time when a fungus has destroyed all of the grass and wheat crops in the world, which means that many of the animals that people farm have died because of the lack of grass and other crops. Food has become very scarce and so Ella and Emery decide to head off with their dogs to find family (Emery's Mum) who live in the outback. Their Dad has been gone for quite a few days looking for Ella's Mum but hasn't returned, and Ella's Mum has been gone for quite a few months working on a job. Ella and Emery use some sort of dog sled on wheels which the five dogs pull across the Australian countryside. It's a dangerous journey they have embarked on as there are gangs of thugs who are on the hunt for food and water. "The Dog Runner" is a captivating and exciting story and one which also touches on the need to look after the natural environment.

[Kimberley · Rating 4 out of 5]

LOVED this one. Amazing writing and great story. So good to have a aussie book featuring dog mushing, not something a lot of people know about. Loved the family dynamics, science and indigenous themes worked through it too.

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is middle grade fiction at its finest. Raw and resounding dystopia. Whip-smart characters traversing through a dying landscape. It’s bleak but hopeful and doesn’t underestimate the intelligence of its audience. Also features many doggos! 🐕🐕🐕🐕🐕

[Steph · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another one I probably shouldn't have read during a global pandemic. Slow learner.

[Lio · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars

[Pips 💋 · Rating 2 out of 5]

if you have to read it for school it probably sucks
i was right
i have anzac biscuit ptsd i never want to eat one ever again

[Shane · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 stars. This was an exciting, thought-provoking post-apocalyptic adventure. It is unfortunately all too easy to imagine such a scenario as described here playing out in our world. A strange red fungus has destroyed all types of grass, meaning no crops, no pasture for farm animals and no food for the majority of the world. Governments are unable to sufficiently help and society quickly descends into an every man for himself situation, with widespread looting and violence fighting over food sources. Into this situation we find Ella and Emery, 2 children trying to make it out of the city to a family farm and hoping Mum and Dad will be able to meet them there.

The character choices and situations were tense and realistic, given the circumstances. I liked how issues of connection to land and indigenous land management were initially subtly woven in (and then more obviously as the book advanced). It was clear the author was influenced by Dark Emu, which was then acknowledged in the credits.

I thought the final resolution was a little simplistic. There was no real reason their troubles wouldn't continue to find them at the Christmas's, and the menace felt from Mike and his men wasn't really explained or explored.

Overall, a fascinating and enjoyable read which should spark some excellent discussion.

[Alyce Hunt · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Dog Runner is a middle-grade dystopian novel, in which a red fungus has destroyed all wheat, leading to a shortage of food and a fight to survive. Ella and Emery take five big doggos and travel across the Australian desert to Emery’s mum’s house, avoiding danger and hoping to be reunited with their dad or Ella’s mum, who have both gone missing.

Until the end of the book this was a solid four star, but the last chapter is so rushed and underdeveloped that it undoes a lot of the hard work MacDibble put into crafting such a complex world. However, it’s likely to encourage young people to think seriously about the environment, which is always going to be a positive thing.

The best thing about The Dog Runner (other than the doggos) was Ella’s voice, which was extremely strong. Riddled with grammatical inaccuracies and slang, it brings Ella’s youth into the forefront of your mind and makes some of the trials that are faced all the more harrowing.

This review was originally posted on The Bumbling Blogger.

[Mistress Bast · Rating 3 out of 5]

A simple story - but very good for middle-grade readers (10-14 yo). Set in an Australia about a year after a fungal disease has killed off all the grass-based crops (wheat, barley, rice, maize, etc.).

This one has good elements of adventure - our heroes Ella and Emery need to make a run for it now the city has become unsafe and their parents are missing. Along the way they have to choose whether to trust strangers that they meet, or try to avoid people all together - at the same time as keeping themselves and their 5 dogs fed. I appreciated that the kids realised that feeding the dogs was their top priority as the dogs were being used to pull their only transport.

[Jamie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such an amazing story!

My 11yo son received an advanced copy from a local bookshop to write a review. I started reading it aloud to him at lunch time today. We had short breaks for soccer training and dinner, but I managed to get it finished before bed time. I don't think he would have slept without hearing the ending! But now my poor voice needs a rest!

Set in Australia, this is a wonderful tale of bravery, perseverance and loyalty. It champions the bonds that make people family, and that even in bad times there are good people in this world.

[Julie · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you are looking for a strong MG adventure set in a dystopian Aussie future, look no further. Covering themes of family, food security and indigenous traditions of food cultivation, this story is not only an exciting read (MacDibble can always be relied on to write authentic characters in a wonderful voice), but also offers much food for thought. Sorry for the pun. Recommended.

[Carolyn Gilpin]

I didn't want to finish this too quickly, it was so good! Loved Ella and Emery and their dogs, particularly Maroochy :)