Best of
Animal-Fiction

2012

The Vanishing


Christopher Holt - 2012
    He knows that if he can just find Madame Curie, a wise, old black Lab, she'll be able to help. Madame had a premonition of astonishing events to come -- she might know where Max's family is.But Max can't make the journey alone. Joined by friends Rocky and Gizmo, Max sets off to find Madame. Along the way, the trio must face a pack of angry wolves, forage for food in a land where kibble is akin to gold, befriend a house full of cats, and outsmart a gang of subway rats. Ultimately, they'll have to escape from the biggest threat of all: the Corporation, a "perfect" society for dogs and by dogs, where nothing is quite as it seems.The Last Dogs: The Vanishing is a thrilling adventure and a tale of three unlikely friends on an epic quest to find their people -- and bring them home.

Song of the Summer King


Jess E. Owen - 2012
    . . Shard is a gryfon in danger. He and other young males of the Silver Isles are old enough to fly, hunt, and fight--old enough to be threats to their ruler, the red gryfon king. In the midst of the dangerous initiation hunt, Shard takes the unexpected advice of a strange she-wolf who seeks him out, and hints that Shard's past isn’t all that it seems. To learn his past, Shard must abandon the future he wants and make allies of those the gryfons call enemies. When the gryfon king declares open war on the wolves, it throws Shard’s past and uncertain future into the turmoil between. Now with battle lines drawn, Shard must decide whether to fight beside his king . . .or against him. ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ GOLD Medal Winner of the Global E-book Award for Fantasy SILVER Medal Winner of Global E-book Award for Young Adult. Honorable Mention in the Writer's Digest Self Published book awards. Finalist in the Indie Book Awards. BRILLIANT DEBUT: "In the tradition of other mythic tales with animal protagonists like Watership Down and Birth of the Firebringer, here's Song of the Summer King: a story that is only "Young Adult" in the sense that both young and old can enjoy it . . . Go get it for yourself, your kids, and your friends." ~M.C.A. Hogarth, Author, 5 Star Review A SONG YOU WILL NEVER FORGET: "The characters are... alive. There is no other word for it. When you read it, you are with them, immerse yourself into this world." ~Kevin J, Amazon 5 Star Review

Island of Shadows


Erin Hunter - 2012
    . . .Toklo, Kallik, and Lusa survived the perilous mission that brought them together, and now it’s time for them to find their way home. Kallik and Lusa are ready to be among their own kinds again, but Toklo, devastated by the loss of their companion Ujurak, feels hopeless and afraid of what’s to come.When the group reaches a shadowy island covered in mountains and ice, Kallik is sure they’re almost back to the Frozen Sea. But a terrifying accident leads them into a maze of abandoned tunnels, unlike anything they’ve ever seen before—making them question their path once again.The bears grow desperate for a sign to guide them, and when they meet a cub who has lost his whole family, Toklo believes the cub has been sent by Ujurak. But the others are unsure. Can they trust their new companion? Or could he be hiding something that will endanger them all?

The Velveteen Rabbit


Margery Williams Bianco - 2012
    But at its core, Margery Williams’s classic story is about stark realities: humans are brusque and unreliable, toys wear out, and—above all—one is either real or one is not. “He hasn’t got any hind legs!” sneers a real rabbit in the original version’s woodland scene. “ ‘Fancy a rabbit without any hind legs!’ And he began to laugh.” In Sakai’s (In the Meadow) retelling, those cruel truths are considerably softened and pared down—where Williams sometimes seemed to prolong the afflictions of her hero, Sakai touches on them only long enough to give her story some emotional heft before moving on. Sakai’s illustrations, richly textured paintings done in acrylic and oil pencil, retain the original’s Edwardian setting, while cushioning the story’s sharp edges with blankets of smudgy, luminous color. Throughout, Sakai emphasizes the rabbit’s stiff, toylike unreality, showing him lying forgotten in the garden beside a shovel or propped up against a tree. It’s an elegant condensation, but in the process, much of the emotional power has been dialed down. Ages 4–up.

The Sight and Fell


David Clement-Davies - 2012
    The legend of Larka, the white she wolf, and of Fell, the black, both possessed of the extraordinary powers of The Sight are united in two novels that have won loyal followers everywhere.

The Silver Brumby


Elyne Mitchell - 2012
    These much-loved classics tell the story of Thowra, the magnificent silver stallion, king of the brumbies. Whether you are enjoying the Silver Brumby series for the first time or rediscovering it after many years, this is a book to be treasured.Also included in this beautiful edition is a specially commissioned biography of Elyne Mitchell, who was born in 1913 and went on to become one of Australia′s most successful and popular authors. The biography also contains photographs that depict Elyne in many other areas of her long and distinguished life, including that of daughter, wife, mother, sportswoman, horsewoman, farmer and environmentalist.

Paw Prints in the Sand


Elizabeth Parker - 2012
    One of the pups unknowingly fell into the wrong hands-the owner of a puppy mill. With the help of a group of men, actions were taken to make justice prevail.

The Great Escape


Megan Rix - 2012
    And as the air raid sirens sound over London, the frightened animals are sent to be put down.Buster, Tiger and Rose make a daring escape but with danger at every turn, can the trio make it across the country as it prepares for battle - and cheat death for the second time?

Mice to the Rescue


Geronimo Stilton - 2012
    He is strong... he is invincible... he is fearless! (Well, almost.) He is one of the Heromice!Now that the terrible Tony Sludge has escaped from prison, it's up to Geronimo Superstilton and the Heromice to defend Muskrat City from the notorious Sewer Rats and stop an enormouse blackout! Will our heroes be able to defeat their enemies without risking their fur?

Taming Me: Memoir of a Clever Island Cat


Cathy Unruh - 2012
    When she is captured by humans and taken from her mother, Lucy Miracle's rags-to-riches adventure begins. In this epic tale told by Lucy herself, you will feel her terror when she is trapped in a cage. See through her eyes as she is nursed back to health from the brink of death, and share her joy as she accepts the love of her human family. Will Lucy ever see her mother again? Can she and her human friends stop the man who wants to murder every cat on the island? If she decides to live in a house with humans, will she miss the freedom of the wild? Experience life as a feral cat in Taming Me.

Foster Fox (A 10,000 Lakes Tale)


William D. Writer - 2012
    Newborn fox cub Foster Fox has been separated from his kin and is afraid of the rising waters. Sacrifices are made as Foster Fox escapes one danger on the South Bank of the North Woods, to a safe zone where his fate lies in the hands of frightened individuals from The Woodlands Council and the Bird and Bug Network who ultimately decide, because of the usurpation of the food chain, to thrust him off into the North Woods where carnivores like him dwell. Foster must grow up quickly as he is confronted by the ferocious predator, Lone Gray Wolf, who has chosen him for dinner, which unsettles the emotions of many animals causing the whole forest to react.

The Blue Diamond


Lynn Franklin - 2012
    So it's no wonder that someone would kill to possess a five-carat, flawless blue diamond. When Kimberley West interrupts a burglary at her grandfather's jewelry story, she discovers Grandpa bleeding on the floor. Before he's rushed to the hospital, Grandpa entrusts Kim with guarding the blue diamond worth millions.An unsuspecting jewelerGrandpa doesn't realize, however, that the would-be thief will stop at nothing to obtain the diamond -- and now he has Kim in his sights.A determined killer.With her grandfather in a coma, Kim must track the origins of the mysterious blue diamond -- without letting anyone know she has it. As the body count rises, Kim must match wits with a mastermind she suspects is close to home.Can Kimberley West unmask the killer in time?

The Night Horses


Anaka Jones - 2012
    12-year-old author Anaka Jones imagines the life of a herd of horses as they work, chow, play and turn a farm into their own three-ring circus in The Night Horses

An Animal Life: The Beginning


Howard Nelson Krum - 2012
    An ex K-9 cop, a standardbred harness racer and a Brooklyn-born beauty queen walk into a bar... Add a rabbi, an Olympic gymnast, a loudmouth jerk, and a rough-hewn commercial fisherman from Maine and itmust be Friday Night Happy Hour at the School of Veterinary Medicine. Come along with Jack, Hoss, Kerri and the other first-year students of the Death Row Crew as they navigatethe irreverent, malodorous, demanding and exciting new world of veterinary medicine... their previously disparate lives become entwined in An Animal Life (and they wouldn't want it any other way). An Animal Life: The Beginningis a scientific medical mystery (animals and people are dying) and a quest for True Love (with a real cowboy) that unfolds as newbie first-year students struggle to survive the academicgauntlet of veterinary school. If you love animals and ever wondered about going to vet school, here's your chance to experience the joys and challenges without being kicked, scratched or bitten and at0.00001% the cost of tuition."

Warren Peace


Michael Wombat - 2012
    until the foxes come. With his friends and family’s lives in danger, Cuetip must undertake a perilous journey out into the big world to find help. On the way, he also finds terror, sadness, friendship, cats, hilarity and perhaps most important of all, courage. A novel about talking animals, but definitely not for smaller children.

The Dog Story: A Journey into a New Life with Multiple Sclerosis


Matt Cavallo - 2012
    Overnight, he went from a fully-functioning, healthy man to someone who was numb from the waist down and unable to walk. After consulting his doctor, he was sent to a neurologist who immediately admitted him to the hospital. What would happen to Matt over the next four weeks would redefine all that was important in life. At the end of this four week period, he would learn that he has the chronic neurodegenerative condition - Multiple Sclerosis. This book chronicles Matt's journey of being diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis and his struggle to not only regain his physical health, but also to regain the inner strength needed to fight this chronic illness. It is a story of hope, love, healing and finding man's best friend. Matt is sharing his story in hopes of raising awareness of this devastating illness. A portion of the proceeds from this book will be donated to support MS research and charities.