Dog days - Geraldine McCaughrean

'The ice was slippery. Her paws kept splaying outwards until the cold of the ice on her belly made her tiptoe back up to her full height . . . Someone on the bridge threw a lump of coal at her. It skidded across the whiteness, leaving a black trail, then plopped into a fissure: the ice was breaking up.'

Clay and his brother, Hal, rescue a struggling dog from the icy River Thames. But back on dry land their father refuses to take her in - the new Dog Tax means she's too expensive to keep. As skinners sharpen their knives, ready to make money from pelts just like hers, the boys determine to save her - at whatever cost . . .

Geraldine McCaughrean has written over 140 books and plays for both adults and children, including Peter Pan in Scarlet, the official sequel to J M Barrie's Peter Pan, which was one of the most talked about and successful children's titles of 2006. Geraldine McCaughrean has won the Carnegie Medal, the Whitbread Children's Book Award (three times), the Guardian Children's Fiction Prize, the Smarties Bronze Award (four times), the Blue Peter Book of the Year award and the Blue Peter Special Book to Keep Forever award. Geraldine is the first author to have been short listed, by librarians, for the Carnegie Medal six times, on at least one occasion in each of the past four decades, thus once again recognising the quality of her writing over the years.

Geraldine McCaughrean's novels and retellings for children have won her the CARNEGIE MEDAL, GUARDIAN CHILDREN'S FICTION AWARD, WHITBREAD AWARD and THE BEEFEATER AWARD. A prolific author who writes for all ages, she lives in Berkshire with her family.
Visit her website at www.geraldinemccaughrean.co.uk

Never patronising, never overly sentimental, this author understands exactly what children will enjoy
Newbury weekly news

an excellent introduction to historical novels , with just the right amount of modern fizz
The Irish Times

'... stands in a place between logic and imagination, where the enjoyment of language is king.' (SIX STOREY HOUSE)
The Times

'poignant, original and funny ... This book is a triumph of wit, warmth and careful composition from one of our most creative and versatile contemporary children's writers' (SIX STOREY HOUSE)
TES Primary

'It is great to come across a novel written for this age group that feels like a proper book rather than an extension of a school-reading scheme ... Geraldine McCaughrean's quirky story gets to the emotional heart of a big, old house ... a delicately written tale' (SIX STOREY HOUSE)
The Guardian