Dog Star

July 19, 2021
Set in Moscow in 1957 against the internationally charged space race, Shepherd’s (The Secret Horses of Briar Hill) tautly paced historical novel portrays the friendship between a stray dog and an empathic 12-year-old, both in the orbit of the Starflyer mission to launch animals into space. Alternating chapters follow Laika, a captured street dog inducted into training as a cosmonaut on a remote-controlled spacecraft, and Nina, the presumed-white daughter of a prominent rocket scientist, who volunteers with the group under a patriotic service program. The emotionally intense narrative effectively captures Laika’s senses and viewpoint, both on the streets and in the lab, as she begins to trust other dogs, scientists, and especially Nina, who falls under suspicion after the sudden defection of her best friend’s family to America. Though some perspectives feel heavy-handed, palpably-wrought authoritarianism follows Nina, who struggles to distance herself from her former friend and to conform to social pressure, priming her for a bond with Laika. Likewise, the voice of wise higher power Dog Star, who speaks to Laika, can feel out of place, but sympathetic characters deliver a tense and compelling adventure that stays true to historical events. An author’s note offers background on the real Laika and the space race. Ages 8–12. Agent: Josh Adams, Adams Literary.

August 15, 2021
Laika is a stray struggling to stay alive on the cold, mean streets of Moscow; Nina, 12, is the daughter of a scientist working at the Institute of Space Medicine. It's 1957, the space race between the United States and the Soviet Union is on, and the Soviets are determined to be the first to send a living creature into space. When they settle on dogs, Laika is plucked off the streets as a recruit, and her path crosses with Nina's during a family visit day at the Institute after the little dog has been brought in for testing. A bond immediately forms between them, and Nina engineers a service project through her Young Pioneers group so she can volunteer to care for Laika and the other dogs. The more invested Nina becomes in Laika, the more she begins to question the outright lies and lies of omission churned out by the Soviet propaganda machine, especially in light of her best friend Ludmilla's family's defection to the U.S. And when the question of Laika's well-being arises, Nina will stop at nothing to protect her new friend. The narrative alternates between Nina's and Laika's points of view; Laika's perspective is anthropomorphized with inner monologue as well as dialogue between dogs, and this works to the story's advantage in arousing sympathy for the small animal who was sacrificed for science. A poignant story that accessibly illuminates a milestone in space exploration history. (author's note, recommended reading) (Historical fiction. 8-12)

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September 15, 2021
Grades 4-7 Based on the true story of the 1950s Space Race, Dog Star focuses on the Soviet dog Laika, rescued from the snowy streets of Moscow and groomed to become a "starflyer"--a test traveler orbiting the Earth during the early days of space exploration. Nina is the daughter of one of Laika's scientist trainers and bonds with the special pup. As she deals with school bullies and misses her friend whose family defected to America, she begins to question Communist beliefs. The crisis comes when she realizes that there is no plan to bring Laika back from her mission. There is a fictional, but failed, rescue attempt, leading to the actual result. Told from Laika's and Nina's alternating viewpoints, the novel reveals the process the Soviets followed into space, as well as insights into life during the Cold War. Shepherd includes an informative afterword and valuable bibliography for those who want to know more. Recommended for its insight into a pivotal moment in history and the touching relationship between a girl and her dog.

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