This post was most recently updated on March 7th, 2013

Publisher : Arthur A. Levine Books/Scholastic, October 1, 2012
Category:  Grades 5 & up/YA Crossover
Tour Dates: February, 2013
Available in: Print and Kindle, 320 pages

Like thousands of other children in post-Soviet Russian, five-year-old Mishka finds himself trying to survive on the streets of Moscow after his mother disappears and he has no home. Help comes from an unlikely source: a pack a feral street dogs! For two years, Mishka and the dogs protect and love each other, becoming a family in every sense of the word. When Mishka has the chance to rejoin the world of humans, will he want to? Inspired by a true story!

Praise for The Dogs of Winter:

“Packs plenty of punch.” The New York Times

Starred Review!: “[A] first-person narrative in beautifully composed writing enhanced by Ivan’s visual acuity and depth of emotion. Terrifying, life-affirming and memorable.” Kirkus

Starred Review!: “a compelling and highly original fiction. Loyalty in the dog pack, and the dog characters are as vivid as Mishka’s human acquaintances.  An absorbing account in its own right, this could also partner with Gerstein’s Victor (BCCB 12/98) for two very different looks at (purportedly) wild children.” DS, The Bulletin for the Center of Children’s Books

“Pyron delivers a reflective, hard-hitting story about the bond between child and dog… The book’s emotional impact is immense.” Publishers Weekly –This text refers to an alternate Hardcover edition.

“It was riveting and full of nonstop excitement and action.”  Karen Yingling, Mrs. Yingling Reads

“This is a captivating, important story based on the life of Ivan Mishukov, a Russian boy who lived a similar adventure. The author’s note and extensive bibliography offer further insight into the underlying problems faced by Ivan and other children in Russia and around the world. Eva Hornung’s Dog Boy (Viking, 2010) was also inspired by Mishukov’s early life.”–Renee Steinberg, School Library Journal

“No one will be able to read this story of a five-year-old boy’s survival on the streets of Moscow by living with dogs without being moved. Bobbie Pyron again shines as an author of considerable talent.” Margie, GoodReads Reviewer

“Even though I knew the outcome of this story, I was still riveted. How could a four year old abandoned to live on the streets with a pack of dogs survive? For over two years Dog Boy aided by seven dogs he came to love like family struggled to find food and warmth. It is a story of almost daily despair and often very brutal events, but the child has an amazing will to live. He is a character I won’t soon forget.” Cathy Coronado, GoodReads Reviewer

“An amazing story, moving and poignant, packed with action and emotion.” Edward T., GoodReads Reviewer

“Bobbie is a wonderful writer and this story will stay with me forever.” Snb, GoodReads Reviewer

 About Bobbie Pyron:

Bobbie was born in Hollywood, Florida and spent her growing up years up in the panhandle, swimming in the Gulf of Mexico and dreaming of being a mermaid.  She has degrees in Psychology and Anthropology, and a Masters degree in Library Science, and has worked as a librarian for over twenty-five years.

Her first book, a novel for teens titled The Ring (WestSide Books), was published in October of 2009. Her second book, A Dog’s Way Home (HarperCollins/Katherine Tegen Books), was published to starred reviews in March of 2011. The Dog Writers Association of America recently awarded Bobbie the Maxwell Medal of Excellence and the Merial Human-Animal Bond Award.  It was also named a Banks Street Best Books of the Year.

Her new book, The Dogs of Winter (Arthur A. Levine Books/Scholastic), came out October of 2012. The Dogs of Winter is a Junior Library Guild Selection and a Kirkus Best 100 Children’s Books of the Year. Bobbie lives in Park City, Utah with her husband, three dogs, and two cats.

Bobbie’s Website.

Twitter: https://twitter.com/BobbiePyron
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/bobbie.pyron?fref=ts

Buy it:

Amazon.com: Hardcover or Kindle
Barnes & Noble: Hardcover or Nook
Book Depository

Follow the Tour:

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So Many Precious Books Feb 7 Review
So Many Precious Books Feb 8 Interview & Giveaway
Sweeps 4 Bloggers Feb 11 Review & Giveaway
The Wormhole Feb 12  Review
The Wormhole Feb 13 Interview
My Devotional Thoughts Feb 13 Review
A Book Lover’s Library Feb 14 Review
A Book Lover’s Library Feb 15 Interview
As I Turn the Pages Feb 18 Review
Books a la mode  Feb 20 Interview & Giveaway
Geo Librarian Feb 22 Review
Geo Librarian Feb 25  Interview & Giveaway
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Book Journey Feb 26 Review & Giveaway
Bookhounds Feb 27 Review
Book Snatch Feb 28 Interview & Giveaway