Boy-and-dog stories undeniably should have happy endings. However, from the first chapter of Dog Lost, readers will steel themselves for the inevitable tragedy that awaits Mackenzie and the stray pit bull puppy his drunken father unceremoniously dumps on Mack’s bed. Consequently, when Cash—still a puppy—inadvertently trips Mack’s dad and shatters his bottle of whiskey, we are prepared for the worst. What keeps us ardently reading are the parallel stories of the bedraggled dog missing his boy, the depressed boy lonely for his dog, the cop, two dying strangers, and a community seething to exterminate every pit bull they find. 2009 USBBY Outstanding International Books List. lmp