100 books like Rez Dogs

By Joseph Bruchac,

Here are 100 books that Rez Dogs fans have personally recommended if you like Rez Dogs. Shepherd is a community of 11,000+ authors and super readers sharing their favorite books with the world.

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Book cover of Rescue on the Oregon Trail

David A. Kelly Author Of The Fenway Foul-Up

From my list on kids with a touch of mystery and adventure.

Why am I passionate about this?

As the father of two boys, I know how hard it can be to get kids engaged in reading. My boys were excited about mysteries and sports, which is why I created The Ballpark Mysteries series, in which cousins Kate and Mike solve mysteries at different MLB stadiums. By including facts and history in the books I can also engage readers who like real-life stories. For me, the best mystery and adventure chapter books for kids will meet readers where they are and take them on an exciting (and perhaps even scary or thrilling) journey while keeping them safe in their chairs and coming back for more. 

David's book list on kids with a touch of mystery and adventure

David A. Kelly Why did David love this book?

I love books that mix fact and fiction, mystery and adventure, and include real-life settings and history. Kate Messner’s great Ranger in Time series, starting with Rescue on the Oregon Trail does all of this incredibly well. These books do a terrific job of making history both personal and present to today’s readers. Interested readers can delve deeper by locating landmarks mentioned in the book on a map, in person, or via the internet. Add on top of the fact that the main character is a time-traveling golden retriever, and young readers can’t lose anything but time otherwise spent in front of screens. Her later Ranger in Time book on 9/11 is especially terrific, making a very difficult subject very approachable to interested readers.   

By Kate Messner, Kelley McMorris (illustrator),

Why should I read it?

2 authors picked Rescue on the Oregon Trail as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it. This book is for kids age 7, 8, 9, and 10.

What is this book about?

Meet Ranger! He's a time-traveling golden retriever who has a nose for trouble . . . and always saves the day!

Ranger has been trained as a search-and-rescue dog, but can't officially pass the test because he's always getting distracted by squirrels during exercises. One day, he finds a mysterious first aid kit in the garden and is transported to the year 1850, where he meets a young boy named Sam Abbott. Sam's family is migrating west on the Oregon Trail, and soon after Ranger arrives he helps the boy save his little sister. Ranger thinks his job is done,…


Book cover of Secondhand Dogs

PJ Gardner Author Of Horace & Bunwinkle

From my list on with animal POV.

Why am I passionate about this?

Writing children’s books from an animal’s point of view is a special art. You have to place yourself in both the mind of the child and the animal. It requires research and imagination. There aren’t many writers who like to tackle all of that. Personally, I love it! In fact, most of my books for young readers are written from an animal’s perspective.

PJ's book list on with animal POV

PJ Gardner Why did PJ love this book?

This delightful story is perfect for dog lovers! With a relatable cast of characters—from anxious Gus to enthusiastic Moon Pie—and a high-stakes adventure that will keep readers glued to the page. I loved the pack dynamics and Gus reminded me so much of myself. I know kids will absolutely love it.

By Carolyn Crimi,

Why should I read it?

2 authors picked Secondhand Dogs as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it. This book is for kids age 8, 9, 10, and 11.

What is this book about?

A heartwarming-and heart-tugging-middle grade novel about love, loyalty, and what it means to be part of a family-from author Carolyn Crimi, with adorable illustrations by Melissa Manwill. Perfect for fans of A Dog's Life and Because of Winn-Dixie.

Miss Lottie's home was for second chances.

When she adopted Gus, Roo, Tank, and Moon Pie, Miss Lottie rescued each member of the pack-including herself, her helper, Quinn, and her reclusive cat, Ghost-and turned them into a family. But when a new dog, Decker, arrives and tries to hoard Miss Lottie's heart and home for himself, the pack's future is threatened.

At…


Book cover of A Dog-Friendly Town

Margaret Finnegan Author Of We Could Be Heroes

From my list on where the dog lives.

Why am I passionate about this?

I write middle-grade fiction. I write funny thoughtful books where diverse characters, including those with disabilities, are featured prominently. My books often include dogs, and I promise you this right now, the dogs will always live!

Margaret's book list on where the dog lives

Margaret Finnegan Why did Margaret love this book?

Oh boy! It’s a dog-centered mystery where celebrity dogs rule, and when a jeweled collar goes missing, everyone is a suspect. I adored the twists and turns here, and you will wish your dog could stay at the enchanting bed and breakfast where the action unfolds. Heck, I wish I could stay there. 

By Josephine Cameron,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked A Dog-Friendly Town as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it. This book is for kids age 8, 9, 10, and 11.

What is this book about?

Josephine Cameron's A Dog-Friendly Town is a delightful middle-grade cozy caper sure to excite dog-lovers and gentle mystery readers alike!

Twelve-year-old Epic McDade isn't ready for middle school. He'd rather help out at his family's dog-friendly bed n' breakfast all summer, or return to his alternative elementary school in the fall, where learning feels safe. But change comes in all shapes and fur colors. When Carmelito, California is named America's #1 Dog-Friendly Town, all the top dogs and their owners pour into Epic's sleepy seaside neighborhood for a week of celebration.

The McDades are in dog heaven with all the…


Book cover of Ginger Pye

Margaret Finnegan Author Of We Could Be Heroes

From my list on where the dog lives.

Why am I passionate about this?

I write middle-grade fiction. I write funny thoughtful books where diverse characters, including those with disabilities, are featured prominently. My books often include dogs, and I promise you this right now, the dogs will always live!

Margaret's book list on where the dog lives

Margaret Finnegan Why did Margaret love this book?

This is one of my all-time favorites. But it’s an old one. It was first published in 1951. It is adorable and funny, and I don’t think it’s ever been out of print. It’s about a boy who searches for his dognapped dog, Ginger Pye. No worries. Love will triumph!

By Eleanor Estes,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Ginger Pye as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it. This book is for kids age 9, 10, 11, and 12.

What is this book about?

A heartwarming, yet quirky, story about a boy called Jerry whose much-loved puppy, Ginger Pye, goes missing. Jerry and his sister begin a desperate hunt for Ginger, who they're convinced has been stolen away by the stranger in the yellow hat. After months of fruitless searching the children are about to give up hope when a chance gust of wind reveals the villain to the children and Ginger Pye is saved. BLA book which has stood the test of time and deals with the special relationship between a boy and his dog in a fun and lively way


Book cover of Esther: The Remarkable True Story Of Esther Wheelwright

Cameron Alam Author Of Anangokaa

From my list on women discovering personal truth in the wilderness.

Why am I passionate about this?

Since childhood, when I first witnessed Mary and Collin grow hale and hearty by breathing in fresh air from the moor while sinking their hands into the soil of The Secret Garden, I have been drawn toward stories featuring the healing power of nature. And when I discovered Karana, resilient and resourceful,  fending for herself on The Island of the Blue Dolphins, I realized nature could be as violent a mentor as she could be nurturing, less a wellspring for the thirsty than a fiery forge for the spirited. The mystifying interplay of this gentle/fierce duality and its effect on the lives of characters continues to intrigue me and influences my writing. 

Cameron's book list on women discovering personal truth in the wilderness

Cameron Alam Why did Cameron love this book?

In a time when nature, natives, and competing religions were feared by many European settlers, a little Puritan girl was captured by Abenaki warriors during an attack on her fort by French and Indian forces and thrust into the midst of everything her people feared most. When captives were later being repatriated, she chose to remain in New France, not only never seeing her parents again, but rising through the ranks of the Catholic church. One can only imagine what she experienced within the deep forest and little Jesuit chapel among the Abenaki during her formative years which left such an indelible mark as to set the course for the rest of her life. 

By Julie Wheelwright,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Esther as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

In 1703, a war party of French soldiers and Abenaki warriors raided the Puritan village of seven-year-old Esther Wheelwright, killing several men, women and children and taking twenty-two captives. That Esther managed to survive the 200-mile journey by foot through swamps and forests to a Jesuit mission in New France is astonishing. That she was adopted, quite happily, into a family of her Abenaki captors is equally amazing. But for the Wheelwright family, who waited years before receiving word that Esther had even survived the raid, the abduction was a tragedy. Esther’s release from her Abenaki family was finally negotiated…


Book cover of Assembled for Use: Indigenous Compilation and the Archives of Early Native American Literatures

Ivy Schweitzer and Gordon Henry Author Of Afterlives of Indigenous Archives

From my list on Native American cultural archives.

Why are we passionate about this?

Though from different backgrounds, we share a profound passion for Native culture. As an enrolled member of the White Earth Chippewa Tribe of Minnesota, Gordon’s poetry and fiction draw deeply from his Anishinabe heritage and contribute to the current flowering of Indian writing. Ivy is the grandchild of Jewish immigrants from Eastern Europe. As a scholar and teacher, she was appalled that Native writers are largely excluded from the American canon and worked to right that wrong. They met through their shared interest in Samson Occom, an 18th-century Mohegan writer, and decided to collaborate on increasing awareness of the necessity of Native writing to sustaining our future.

Ivy's book list on Native American cultural archives

Ivy Schweitzer and Gordon Henry Why did Ivy love this book?

Though we are thankful for the current movements to decolonize archives and museums, from at least 1750, Native writers have been doing this important survival work of asserting Native ways of knowing. This revelation is the subject of Wisecup’s ground-breaking study. It shows how early Native writers assembled lists, collages, and literary texts that, through juxtaposition and recontextualization, resisted the way colonial archives defined their bodies, belongings, and words as ethnographic evidence of vanishing peoples. Wisecup offers revealing ways to read the Indigenous compilations of key figures like Mohegan Samson Occom’s medicinal recipes, Ojibwe Charlotte Johnston’s poetry scrapbooks, and Abenaki leader Joseph Laurent’s vocabulary lists. We also deeply appreciate how Wisecup ends each chapter by connecting the early writer it focuses on to contemporary Indigenous culture.

By Kelly Wisecup,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Assembled for Use as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

A wide-ranging, multidisciplinary look at Native American literature through non-narrative texts like lists, albums, recipes, and scrapbooks

"An intricate history of Native textual production, use, and circulation that reshapes how we think about relationships between Native materials and settler-colonial collections."-Rose Miron, D'Arcy McNickle Center for American Indian and Indigenous Studies at the Newberry Library

Kelly Wisecup offers a sweeping account of early Native American literatures by examining Indigenous compilations: intentionally assembled texts that Native people made by juxtaposing and recontextualizing textual excerpts into new relations and meanings. Experiments in reading and recirculation, Indigenous compilations include Mohegan minister Samson Occom's medicinal…


Book cover of Dawnland Voices: An Anthology of Indigenous Writing from New England

Ivy Schweitzer and Gordon Henry Author Of Afterlives of Indigenous Archives

From my list on Native American cultural archives.

Why are we passionate about this?

Though from different backgrounds, we share a profound passion for Native culture. As an enrolled member of the White Earth Chippewa Tribe of Minnesota, Gordon’s poetry and fiction draw deeply from his Anishinabe heritage and contribute to the current flowering of Indian writing. Ivy is the grandchild of Jewish immigrants from Eastern Europe. As a scholar and teacher, she was appalled that Native writers are largely excluded from the American canon and worked to right that wrong. They met through their shared interest in Samson Occom, an 18th-century Mohegan writer, and decided to collaborate on increasing awareness of the necessity of Native writing to sustaining our future.

Ivy's book list on Native American cultural archives

Ivy Schweitzer and Gordon Henry Why did Ivy love this book?

We highly recommend this capacious “counter-archive” of Native writing because it definitively lays to rest the myth of the “vanishing Indian.” Covering more than four centuries, it includes work from ten tribal nations from Maine to Connecticut in the form of early political petitions and land deeds to contemporary poetry and blogs. We love that its editor, a non-Native scholar, drew on the expertise of eleven Native editors from tribal communities for its diverse content, sourced from oral narratives, manuscripts stored in garages, and passed-around bootlegged copies. We also love that the book inspired a website for the extra material and for new work being produced now. In this sense, the website is a living document that illuminates the long history and vibrant presence of Indigenous writing.

By Siobhan Senier (editor),

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Dawnland Voices as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Dawnland Voices calls attention to the little-known but extraordinarily rich literary traditions of New England's Native Americans. This pathbreaking anthology includes both classic and contemporary literary works from ten New England indigenous nations: the Abenaki, Maliseet, Mi'kmaq, Mohegan, Narragansett, Nipmuc, Passamaquoddy, Penobscot, Schaghticoke, and Wampanoag.
Through literary collaboration and recovery, Siobhan Senier and Native tribal historians and scholars have crafted a unique volume covering a variety of genres and historical periods. From the earliest petroglyphs and petitions to contemporary stories and hip-hop poetry, this volume highlights the diversity and strength of New England Native literary traditions. Dawnland Voices introduces readers…


Book cover of Monique and the Mango Rains: Two Years with a Midwife in Mali

George W. Norton Author Of Hunger and Hope: Escaping Poverty and Achieving Food Security in Developing Countries

From my list on hunger and health issues in developing countries.

Why am I passionate about this?

I grew up on a small farm, expecting to return to it after college, but I was inspired by books and by a teacher to focus instead on alleviating hunger and poverty problems in developing countries and two years working with the rural poor in Colombia in the Peace Corps helped me understand the need to attack these problems at both the household and policy levels. I taught courses and wrote on agricultural development issues at Virginia Tech for forty years and managed agricultural projects in Africa, Asia, and Latin America. I am passionate about improving food security and human health and treating people with respect regardless of their circumstances.

George's book list on hunger and health issues in developing countries

George W. Norton Why did George love this book?

Many Peace Corps memoirs have been penned, but this account of the author’s experience living and working with a midwife in a remote village in Mali is my favorite because it captures in moving, page-turning prose the depth of the bond that develops between the author and her local counterpart, Monique.

I loved how the story immersed me in the local culture, gender relations, and medical reality as Monique fought, with determination and good humor, to save lives and provide hope to vulnerable women. It is also a story, as it is for many Peace Corps volunteers and was for me, of growing up and broadening horizons during a formative time.       

By Kris Holloway,

Why should I read it?

3 authors picked Monique and the Mango Rains as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Monique Dembele saves lives and dispenses hope in a place where childbirth is a life-and-death matter. Her unquenchable passion to improve the lot of the women and children in her West African village is matched by her buoyant humour in the face of unhappy marriage and backbreaking work. This is the deeply compelling story of the rare friendship between a young development volunteer and this midwife who defies tradition and becomes - too early in her own life - a legend.


Book cover of Flush

Jeanie Nicholson Author Of Gone to the Dogs

From my list on people who love dogs.

Why am I passionate about this?

I’m passionate about dogs. Besides being a novelist, I write and blog about dogs for a living. Save a few grief-filled months here and there, there’s never been a time in my life when I didn’t have at least one dog, each one just as special and beloved as the last. My current special beloved is a German shepherd named Dixie, a big, goofy girl who loves belly rubs and tug-of-war almost as much as food and cuddles. Dogs also make the stakes feel higher when there’s an element of danger involved. Sure, go ahead, kill off the main character. Just don’t harm the dog and everything will be fine.

Jeanie's book list on people who love dogs

Jeanie Nicholson Why did Jeanie love this book?

Flush is an experimental novella by Virginia Woolf that relays the biography of Elizabeth Barrett Browning’s beloved cocker spaniel.

Told from the titular Flush’s point of view, Woolf mixes imagination with research, drawing largely from Browning’s own poems about the dog for inspiration, as she portrays the pup’s inner thoughts as he goes from a carefree country puppy to the city dog of a reclusive poetess, and back to the country as the Brownings marry and flee London for the Italian countryside.

This is a story fraught with dangers and full of triumphs and sweet moments that will warm the hearts of any dog lover.

By Virginia Woolf, Elizabeth Steele (editor),

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Flush as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Virginia Woolf's biography of Elizabeth Barrett Brownings spaniel was what she called 'a little escapade', begun to 'ease my brain' in the wake of The Waves (1931).


Book cover of Here Comes Valentine Cat

Brandi Dougherty Author Of The Littlest Valentine

From my list on spreading love on Valentine’s Day.

Why am I passionate about this?

I am a New York Times Bestselling author of more than twenty children’s picture books and chapter books as well as a mom to two young kids. Nothing fills me with more joy than reading to children and witnessing how a story can open up their hearts and minds. And Valentine’s Day is a holiday that brings me extra joy because it’s all about spreading love and friendship. I love Valentine’s Day so much that I’ve written two picture books about it!

Brandi's book list on spreading love on Valentine’s Day

Brandi Dougherty Why did Brandi love this book?

This is a great story about keeping your heart open and not making snap judgments. Cat does not like Valentine’s Day and has no interest in celebrating it. He especially does not want to celebrate with his new neighbor, Dog. After all, Dog has been throwing things over the fence at Cat! How rude. But just went Cat decides to tell Dog exactly what he thinks, Cat gets an unexpected surprise—and maybe even a new friend too! This is such a funny and sweet story full of humor and heart.  

By Deborah Underwood, Claudia Rueda (illustrator),

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Here Comes Valentine Cat as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Cat does NOT like Valentine's Day. It's much too mushy, and no way is he making a valentine for anyone- especially not his new neighbour, Dog. Dog refuses to respect the fence: he keeps tossing over old bones and a hitting Cat in the head! But just as Cat's about to send Dog an angry "valentine" telling him exactly what he can do with his bones, Dog throws a ball over the fence. What is Dog playing at? Cat is in for a hilarious - and heartwarming - surprise in this story about being perhaps too quick to judge.


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