They all go to the same school. Tori is only 14 years old but very smart. She and her friends decide to take a trip to loggerhead island to see the pups. But one pup is missing and the wolf dog isn't real happy about it. So Tori talks the others into breaking into the labs to see if they can find him. She's named him cooper. All their parents work in the lab and if they get caught they will be in huge trouble. But they do it anyways. What they find is the pup and he's sick with Parvo. Tori decides to try to save him but, doesn't realize that what he's carrying is going to change them.
A day or so later they had been doing some snooping around and found a set of dog tags. They couldn't figure out who's they were but, a mystery was coming and Tori and her friends were good at those. They made one more attempt at the lab to find out what info they could. Then they took a trip to the library and found out the the guys dog tags were connected to his young girls disappearance. They knew they needed to find her body and what happened. They didn't know that it could end them up getting shot at.
As the mystery unfolds more they find the bones but, they end up disappearing too. Tori and her friends also notice that things about them has been changing too. They have been ill for awhile. They can't tell anyone but, they need to know what's going on with them.
I'm not giving away any more of the story. You'll have to read the book to find out the ending. Well, I'm off to start another book. Remember a good book is never far from your reach.
Dear Shelly,
ReplyDeleteWill you please consider reviewing my new novel DON’T FORGET ME, BRO (Stephen F. Austin State University Press and Texas Book Consortium, Dec. 2014-Jan.2015).
My novel tackles themes of childhood abuse, mental illness, and alienated families--and leaves the reader uplifted!
Kirkus Reviews says: "Read this book for the vivid imagery and sharp dialogue. Read it for the spot-on characterizations..."
The subject matter is never treated frivolously or over-handled in details. The writing is taut and compelling throughout. The pace leans forward tirelessly.
Those accomplishments alone took years.
In all, five of my thirty years of writing were dedicated to this novel. I like to joke: I had to pull my soul sideways through a keyhole for those five years to get the right words down.
My debut novel, THE NIGHT I FREED JOHN BROWN (Penguin Group, 2008), won The Paterson Prize for Books for Young Readers (Grades 7-12) and was one of ten books recommended by USA TODAY for Black History Month. For more info:
https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/john-michael-cummings/the-night-i-freed-john-brown/
My 2011 short story collection, UGLY TO START WITH (West Virginia
University Press), was hailed by The Philadelphia Inquirer as a work of “sharp observation and surpassing grace.” Here’s a link to some information about my collection:
http://www.amazon.com/Ugly-Start-With-Michael-Cummings/dp/193597808X
My short stories have appeared in more than seventy-five literary
journals, including The Iowa Review, North American Review, The Kenyon Review, Alaska Quarterly Review, and The Chattahoochee Review. Twice I have been nominated for The Pushcart Prize. My short story "The Scratchboard Project" received an honorable mention in The Best American Short Stories 2007.
But DON'T FORGET ME, BRO is my best!
The novel is a fictionalized story of my brother. Joe died at 47 of system-wide neglect and indifference for the so-called mentally ill in my, until recently, extremely backward home state of West Virginia.
I know thousands of lives are lost every day around the world. True, Joe was just one. But in this novel, you will see him live and die not once, but a thousand times in the minutes of his life.
If you email me at johnmcummings@aol.com, I'll send you the cover graphic for my novel. Then, please take a look at the image. You will see in Joe's innocent, dead-on eyes at 19.
I'll also email you a new digital .pdf of my novel from the publisher. It's a clear, bold text.
I promise you that DON'T FORGET ME, BRO is not too grim. I am
sensitive to the reader's well-being and tolerance.
Cleanly written and briskly plotted, DON'T FORGET ME, BRO is a quick, fabulous read, a literary page-turner. Never before in my career could I say this about my work. So I say so now with a truth I can all but guarantee.
I hope I don't sound arrogant. I am just very happy and confident.
To give you a bigger picture of my novel, I'll even email you a full advance review by Pauline Finch of Bookreporter.com, along with a list of authors who've blurbed my novel so far and what they have said.
I would very grateful and honored if you were to review my new novel.
Again, my email is johnmcummings@aol.com
My phone number is (304) 620-8747.
In respect and gratitude for your work,
and warmly,
John Michael Cummings
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