Strays like Us

A 12-year-old in emotional and physical limbo narrates this beautiful novel by Galante (Stealing Our Way Home) about loss, honesty, and self-reliance. Fred (short for Winifred) is sent to live with a foster mother, Margery, a motorcycle-riding sculptor and welder, after her single mother, who refuses to acknowledge her drug addiction, is jailed for stealing prescription drugs from the pharmacy where she works. The story’s multiple threads and relationships are precisely limned: Fred and Margery are both new to the foster-care system; Margery experienced hurt and anger growing up in a dysfunctional family, in her case with an abusive father and a drug-addicted sister; and Delia, Fred’s new classmate and friend, is ignored by her grief-consumed parents following her brother’s drowning and is bullied at school. Most heartrending is the relationship between Fred and Toby, the grossly neglected, dirt-caked dog next door, who observes the girl looking “defeated. Exhausted. And utterly alone.” Galante’s insightful portrayal of the interwoven bonds among Margery, Fred, Delia, and Toby—and how they save one another—creates a deeply affecting, ultimately hopeful novel. Ages 8–12. [em](June) [/em]