Just for Kids - Dog Gone Good Stories

The Underneath by Kathi Appelt - An old hound that has been chained up at his hateful owner's run-down shack, and two kittens born underneath the house, endure separation, danger, and many other tribulations in their quest to be reunited and free.

A Dog on His Own by Mary Jane Auch - After a daring escape from the animal shelter, Pearl, Peppy, and K-10—so named because he is one step above all the other canines—explore the outside world while moving from one adventure to another.

The Good Dog by Avi - McKinley, a malamute, is torn between the domestic world of his human family and the wild world of Lupin, a wolf that is trying to recruit dogs to replenish the dwindling wolf pack.

Tango: The Tale of an Island Dog by Eileen Beha - Lost at sea while sailing with his wealthy owners, a Yorkshire terrier washes up, nearly dead, in a village on Prince Edward Island where he is nursed back to health by a lonely widow and is befriended by a fox and an abandoned waif who is also struggling to find a home for herself somewhere.

The Fast and the Furriest by Andy Behrens - The overweight and unathletic son of a famous former football star discovers that his equally fat and lazy dog is unexpectedly—and obsessively—interested in competing in dog agility contests.

Flawed Dogs by Berkeley Breathed - After being framed by a jealous poodle, a dachshund is left for dead, but comes back with a group of mutts from the National Last Ditch Dog Depository to disrupt the prestigious Westminster Kennel Club dog show and exact revenge on Cassius the poodle.

The Incredible Journey by Sheila Every Burnford - A Siamese cat, an old bull terrier, and a young Labrador retriever travel together 250 miles through the Canadian wilderness to find their family.

Dog Diaries by Betsy Byars - At the first annual meeting of WOOF—Words of Our Friends—assorted dogs preserve their heritage by sharing tales of canines throughout history, including Abu, who ruled all of Egypt except for one pesky cat, and Zippy, who simply must find the squeaky toy.

Because of Winn-Dixie by Kate DiCamillo - Ten-year-old India Opal Buloni describes her first summer in the town of Naomi, Florida, and all the good things that happen to her because of her big ugly dog Winn-Dixie.

Hotel for Dogs by Lois Duncan - Liz and her brother wind up with nine stray dogs that need homes but must be kept a secret.

The Case of the Secret Weapon by John R. Erickson - "There's a burglar on the loose, and he's robbing houses with the help of a super-sneaky, super-stinky, secret weapon. As Head of Security, Hank knows it's his job to protect the ranch and all the buildings on it. So when a suspicious character comes sniffing around Slim's bachelor shack, Hank heads right into action. But does Hank have what it takes to save the day—even after getting caught in the spray of some very unsavory artillery?"—From publisher description.

Old Yeller by Fred Gipson - When fourteen-year-old Travis is left in charge of the farm while his father is on a cattle drive, he is assisted by Old Yeller, an ugly yellow stray dog.

The Last Castaways by Harry Horse - In a series of letters, Grandfather reveals his adventures with his remarkable little dog Roo and the captain of the Unsinkable, as they go in search of the Door to the Sea, the Forgotten Sea, and the Great Cod Bank.

Lassie Come-Home by Eric Knight - A collie undertakes a thousand-mile journey in order to once again meet her former master at the school gate.

Dog Lost by Ingrid Lee - After living happily in a warm home with an eleven-year-old boy, a pit bull terrier is forced to survive on the streets, where its brave deeds surprise many residents who dislike or fear pit bulls.

The Call of the Wild by Jack London - The adventures of an unusual dog, part St. Bernard, part Scotch shepherd, that is forcibly taken to the Klondike gold fields where he eventually becomes the leader of a wolf pack.

A Dog's Life: The Autobiography of a Stray by Ann M. Martin - Squirrel, a stray puppy, tells her life story, from her nurturing mother and brother to making her own way in the world, facing busy highways, changing seasons, and humans both gentle and brutal.

Everything for a Dog by Ann M. Martin - In parallel stories, Bone, an orphaned dog, finds and loses a series of homes, Molly, a family pet, helps Charlie through the grief and other after-effects of his brother's death, and lonely Henry pleads for a dog of his own.

Shiloh by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor - When he finds a lost beagle in the hills behind his West Virginia home, Marty tries to hide it from his family and the dog's real owner, a mean-spirited man known to shoot deer out of season and to mistreat his dogs.

The Leanin' Dog by K.A. Nuzum - In wintry Colorado during the 1930s, eleven-year-old Dessa Dean mourns the death of her beloved mother, but the arrival of an injured dog and the friendship they form is just what they need to change their lives forever.

The Field of the Dogs by Katherine Patterson - Josh, who has just moved to Vermont with his mother, stepfather, and new baby brother, must deal with the bullying of a neighbor boy and discovers that his dog, whom he hears talking with other dogs, is also facing a bully of his own.

Where the Red Fern Grows by Wilson Rawls - A young boy living in the Ozarks achieves his heart's desire when he becomes the owner of two redbone hounds and teaches them to be champion hunters.

Gully's Travels by Tor Seidler - Gulliver leads a life of luxury with his master. But when his master falls in love with a woman who is allergic to dogs, Gulliver is sent to a new home. He finds himself with a family of raucous human beings and three mutts. But just as Gulliver begins to make a grudging peace with his new reality, he gets swept up in a harrowing new adventure.

Probably the World's Best Story about a Dog and the Girl Who Loved Me by D.J. Smith - Paolo's plan for August in Orange Grove City is to hire out his little brother to the neighbors. Georgie is six; he needs a manager.But then the family dog, Rufus, is stolen.Overnight, Paolo is trying to manage not just Georgie, but their deaf cousin, Billy, who speaks only with his hands; Henry, a strange vacation visitor whom the boys discover living locked in his aunt's attic; and Butter Schwartz, a lonely, half-wild schemer with a paper route. The last two are definite dognapping suspects....To top it all, a girl with a big-time crush on Paolo won't let him be, day or night, crisis or no crisis. For her, missing Rufus is nothing to snaring Paolo, who has met his match as a manager. The solution to the mystery of Rufus, the threat of Theresa, and the future must rest in Billy's hands.

The Trouble with Tuck by Theodore Taylor - When Helen's seeing eye dog begins to go blind, she realizes that it's her turn to help him after all the years of his faithful service to her. This story is based on true events of a girl and her dog's devotion and triumph.

Lad, a Dog by Albert Payson Terhune - Before there was Lassie, there was Lad—a dog whose loyalty and courage set him apart. Since its original publication over 70 years ago, Terhune's classic has touched countless readers. Lad is based upon one of Terhune's many collies.

Pete's Disappearing Act by Jenny Tripp - When Pete the performing poodle and Rita the chimp are swept away from the circus in a tornado, they encounter frightening adventures—and make new friends—as they try to return home.

Secrets of a Lab Rat: No Girls Allowed (Dogs Okay) by Trudi Trueit - Fearless nine-year-old "Scab" McNally tries to get his twin sister's help in convincing their parents to let them get a dog, but when he embarrasses her in school with a particularly obnoxious invention, it looks like he has lost her cooperation forever.

Don't Lick the Dog: Making Friends with Dogs by Wendy Wahman - Children often don't understand what dogs' actions mean and can misinterpret a threatening signal for a friendly one and vice versa. This humorous how-to manual shows kids the best ways to interact with unfamiliar dogs, providing helpful tips about all sorts of dog behavior.


For the younger crowd:

Stanley's Beauty Contest by Linda Bailey - Stanley's people are so preoccupied with primping him for the dog show in the park that they forgot his breakfast and soon he and his dogfriends are determined to eat the show's grand prize—the biggest, most scrumptious-smelling dog cookie ever!


Jack's House by Karen Magnuson Beil - Cumulative text reveals who was really responsible for the house that Jack claims to have built, and all of the trucks involved, from the bulldozer used to clear the land to the van that brought a hammock for the back yard.

Dogs on the Bed by Elizabeth Bluemle - These dogs, these dogs! They'll take over your space—but can't be beat for warmth—as celebrated in this spirited story with humorous illustrations. What's a family to do when the bed is overrun by dogs? Move over, of course! In this rollicking, rhyming romp, Mom, Dad, and the kids settle in for a peaceful story before sleep—but their canine companions have other plans. Dog owners will recognize the familiar shenanigans pets engage in at bedtime: stretching out sideways, barking at outside noises no one else can hear, whining to be let out (and in again) all night long. But demands aside, adored dogs are still the coziest comforters around.

Clifford, the Champion by Norman Bridwell - When Clifford enters a contest to become "America's Super Dog," he proves himself a champion.

If Dogs Had Wings by Larry Dane Brimmer - A dog imagines what the world would be like for dogs if they had wings.

Biscuit and the Little Pup by Alyssa Satin Capucilli - Biscuit tries to coax a little puppy to come out and play.

Carl's Summer Vacation by Alexandra Day - Carl and Madeleine are supposed to be napping while Mom and Dad get the summer cabin ready for company but escape from the hammock to do some exploring on the lake.

Always in Trouble by Corrine Demas - Even after attending obedience school, Emma's dog Toby misbehaves until she takes him back to become a "specially trained dog."

I Don't Want a Posh Dog by Emma Dodd - A girl describes in rhyming text the types of dogs she does not want, and finally arrives at a dog that she can call her own.

Bark, George by Jules Feiffer - George the puppy's mother is in for a big surprise when she takes him to the veterinarian to find out why he does not bark.

Houndsley and Catina by James Howe - Houndsley and Catina run into trouble when they decide to prove that they are the best at cooking and writing, respectively.

The Night I Followed the Dog by Nina Laden - A boy follows his dog one night to see what exactly dogs do at night when they're on their own.

Old Mother Hubbard and Her Wonderful Dog by James Marshall - Old Mother Hubbard runs errand after errand for her remarkable dog.

Martha Speaks by Susan Meddaugh - Problems arise when Martha, the family dog, learns to speak after eating alphabet soup.

The King's Taster by Kenneth Oppel - The royal chef takes Max the dog, the royal taster, on several international journeys to find a dish for the land's pickiest king.

Henry and Mudge and the Happy Cat by Cynthia Rylant - Henry's family takes in a stray cat, the ugliest cat they have ever seen, and an amazing relationship blossoms between it and their big dog Mudge.

The Great Gracie Chase by Cynthia Rylant - A cumulative tale about a small dog named Gracie whose quiet life is disrupted by some noisy painters.

Amos: The Story of an Old Dog and His Couch by Susan Seligson - An old dog finds adventure when he discovers that his favorite couch has a motor and can be driven.

Nate the Great by Marjorie Weinman Sharmat - Nate the Great solves the mystery of the missing picture.

Help Me Mr. Mutt! by Janet Stevens - Dogs across the United States write to Mr. Mutt, a people expert, for help with their humans.

Detective LaRue by Mark Teague - While on vacation, Mrs. LaRue receives letters from her dog Ike who has been falsely accused of harming the neighbor's cats and is trying to clear his name.

McDuff Comes Home by Rosemary Wells - McDuff, a little terrier, leaves Fred and Lucy's garden to chase a bunny and gets lost, but with the help of a kindly lady he is returned to his loving family.

Harry the Dirty Dog by Gene Zion - When a white dog with black spots runs away from home, he gets so dirty his family doesn't recognize him as a black dog with white spots. Harry is a white dog with black spots who loves everything...except baths. So one day before bath time, Harry runs away. He plays outside all day long, digging and sliding in everything from garden soil to pavement tar. By the time he returns home, Harry is so dirty he looks like a black dog with white spots. His family doesn't even recognize him!

Look What's New for Kids

Sonia Sotomayor by Lisa Tucker McElroy - When President Barack Obama nominated Sonia Sotomayor to the Supreme Court of the United States, the country celebrated. Not only would the Supreme Court welcome its third woman justice but also its first Hispanic member. Many Americans saw the appointment of the first Hispanic justice as an important step in the civil rights movement.

Look What's New for Teens

Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Season 8, Vol 3, Wolves at the Gate by Joss Whedon - Vampires that, at will, can transform into wolves, panthers, insects, or fog invade the Slayer base of operations in northern Scotland, and not only walk away unscathed, but in possession of Buffy's scythe, the symbol of Slayer power worldwide. Buffy and the Slayer-legion travel to Tokyo in order to learn more about their dangerous new foes, as Xander journeys to Transylvania to solicit the only person they've ever known to possess such power - Dracula!

August Recommendations for Kids

Fiction

I’m the Best by Lucy Cousins - Irrepressible dog, clad in rainbow plaid pants, claims to be THE best at everything, until he realizes his bragging has hurt his friends, and he apologizes. With his self worth in question, his friends assure dog he is still loved, and all ends merrily.

The Return of the Killer Cat by Anne Fine - A week of blissful freedom awaits Tuffy the cat when she learns her family is going on vacation. Her idyllic plans are rudely interrupted when the Vicar is enlisted to cat sit. Unfortunately, the Vicar and Tuffy have distinctly divergent ideas regarding food and appropriate activities. Tensions increase when Tuffy is stranded in a tree and the vicar inadvertently launches Tuffy into the atmosphere during an attempted rescue. Airborne Tuffy lands next door in a padded basket and is outrageously pampered with three meals a day, growing so rotund his pals barely recognize him.

Little Rabbit and the Meanest Mother on Earth by Kate Klise - The circus has come to town and Little Rabbit is bursting to see them only his mother insists he first clean his unbelievably messy room. His room is so horrible; he is unable to clean it quickly, so he climbs out the window with the intent to join the circus.

Roy Morelli Steps Up to the Plate by Thatcher Heldring - Eighth grader Roy is a baseball star, waiting for the season to begin and hoping to impress the high school baseball scouts. His dreams are shattered by his divorced parents who insist he concentrate on passing his history class and only allow him to play on the losing rec league team. Plenty of baseball action transpires as Roy sharpens his mental game while maintaining his power, average, fielding, speed and arm strength.


Nonfiction

If Stones Could Speak: Unlocking the Secrets of Stonehenge by Marc Aronson - For centuries people have wondered and puzzled over Stonehenge. Aronson, in conjunction with the Riverside Project explains intriguing new developments in the discoveries and theories at Stonehenge and the surrounding area.

Dinosaurs Eye to Eye by John Woodward - What would it have been like to see dinosaurs up close? Exciting, full color computer graphics illustrate when and where they lived and ate, and other facts currently known about them.

Poop Happened!: A History of the World from the Bottom Up by Sarah Albee - Put this book on the list of books you did not know you needed to read! Stuffed with amazing information and irreverent, amusing tidbits, this engrossing story is sure to capture attention. This lively, poop-inspired social history is also suitable for reports. Did you know King Louis the XIV, bathed only twice in his life? Not a fact you want the stubborn, anti-bathing faction of your household to know!

August Recommendations for Teens

Fiction

Dead Girl Dancing by Linda Joy Singleton - Amber is in the wrong body again! As a temp lifer, she switches bodies with other humans in crisis and provides a time-out from their lives so they can recover. This time she is in her boyfriend’s sister’s body, and being stalked by a psycho!

The Wager by Donna Jo Napoli - Don Giovanni, a handsome 19 year old nobleman squanders his wealth and is ruined when an earthquake and a tsunami leave him destitute. He is offered a wager with the devil if he does not wash, change his clothes, or comb his hair for three years, three months and three days. The consequences of losing the wager, is the loss of his own soul. Equipped with a magic purse from the devil, he endures the humility and hardships these conditions impose. He misses most the delight of human companionship, since his person is so physically repugnant, and learns what is most important to him.

Middleworld by J. & P. Voelkel - Fourteen-year-old Max Murphy is mysteriously summoned to San Xavier where his parents are involved with an archaeological dig. Max unlocks ancient secrets and must attempt to rescue his parents from the Maya Underworld. Can Max’s talents as a video game expert save the world from the Lords of Death while he faces haunted temples and zombie armies?

Girlfriend Material by Melissa Kantor - Sixteen year old Katie’s terrific summer plans include a fiction writing class and plenty of tennis, both poised to distance her from her parent’s fights. Suddenly, Katie finds herself and her mom at Cape Cod, her plans awry and awkward situations abounding. Katie manages to secure a job teaching tennis, and cultivates friends with other teens and cute Adam. As Katie’s feelings for Adam deepen, she contemplates her initial plan of enjoying a summer fling, and wonders if she is girlfriend material.


Nonfiction

In the Driver’s Seat: A Girl’s Guide to Her First Car by Erika Stalder - So you are getting your first car! Check out this basic guide to how to choose a car, maintenance, and common troubleshooting. Well illustrated, it even covers what do when someone stuffs a banana in your tailpipe!

August Recommendations for Adults

Fiction

The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake by Aimee Bender - On the eve of her ninth birthday, unassuming Rose Edelstein, a girl at the periphery of schoolyard games and her distracted parents’ attention, bites into her mother’s homemade lemon-chocolate cake and discovers she has a magical gift: she can taste her mother’s emotions in the cake. She discovers this gift to her horror, for her mother—her cheerful, good-with-crafts, can-do mother—tastes of despair and desperation. Suddenly, and for the rest of her life, food becomes a peril and a threat to Rose. The curse her gift has bestowed is the secret knowledge all families keep hidden—her mother’s life outside the home, her father’s detachment, her brother’s clash with the world. Yet as Rose grows up she learns to harness her gift and becomes aware that there are secrets even her taste buds cannot discern.

The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake is a luminous tale about the enormous difficulty of loving someone fully when you know too much about them. It is heartbreaking and funny, wise and sad, and confirms Aimee Bender’s place as "a writer who makes you grateful for the very existence of language" (San Francisco Chronicle).

The End Game by Gerrie Ferris Finger -
Moriah Dru’s weekend off with her lover, Lieutenant Richard Lake, is interrupted when Atlanta juvenile court judge Portia Devon hires Dru to find two sisters who’ve gone missing after their foster parents’ house burns down. An ex-cop, Dru established Child Trace, Inc., after leaving the force. Judge Devon sees to it that Lake is assigned to head the police investigation, because Dru and Lake together have a habit of solving cases. After questioning the neighbors, the couple decide that the abduction of the girls looks like more than an ordinary kidnapping. Dru learns that in the past eight years two other foster children from the area have gone missing. The investigation turns up a snitch who tells Dru he’s heard that a secret sex organization, with members named after chess pieces, is bound for Costa Rica with two girls. The chase is on to stop the kidnappers before they escape the country.

The latest winner of the Malice Domestic Best First Traditional Mystery Novel Competition, The End Game features a strong new heroine in a vivid Southern setting. Gerrie Ferris Finger puts a new spin on the classic mystery novel.

This Is Where We Live by Janelle Brown -Claudia and Jeremy, a young married couple, she’s an aspiring filmmaker, he’s an indie musician, are on the verge of making it. Her first film was a sensation at Sundance and is about to have its theatrical release, he’s assembled a new band and is a few songs shy of an album. They’ve recently purchased their first home—an adorable mid-century bungalow with a breathtaking view of the city of Los Angeles—with the magical assistance of an adjustable-rate mortgage. But a series of seismic events—the tanking of Claudia’s film, the return of Jeremy’s ex-girlfriend (a manipulative, self-destructive, fabulously successful artist), and the staggering adjustment of their monthly mortgage payments—deal a crushing blow to their dreams of the bohemian life and their professional aspirations and make them question their values and their shared vision of the future. As she did so insightfully in her first novel, All We Ever Wanted Was Everything, Janelle Brown once again proves herself a trenchant social commentator and a keen and compassionate chronicler of the emotional turmoil, moral conflicts, and knowing compromises of her characters.

The Stormchasers by Jenna Blum -
As a teenager, Karena Jorge had always been the one to look out for her twin brother Charles, who suffers from bipolar disorder. But as Charles begins to refuse medication and his manic tendencies worsen, Karena finds herself caught between her loyalty to her brother and her fear for his life. Always obsessed with the weather-enraptured by its magical unpredictability that seemed to mirror his own impulses- Charles starts chasing storms, and his behavior grows increasingly erratic . . . until a terrifying storm chase with Karena ends with deadly consequences, tearing the twins apart and changing both of their lives forever. Two decades later, Karena gets a call from a psychiatric ward in Wichita, Kansas, to come pick up her brother, whom she hasn't seen or spoken to for twenty years. She soon discovers that Charles has lied to the doctors, taken medication that could make him dangerously manic, and disappeared again. Having exhausted every resource to try and track him down, Karena realizes she has only one last chance of finding him: the storms. Wherever the tornadoes are, that's where he'll be. Karena joins a team of professional stormchasers and embarks on an odyssey to find her brother before he reveals the violent secret from their past and does more damage to himself . . . or to someone else.


Nonfiction

Empire of the Summer Moon: Quanah Parker and the Rise and Fall of the Comanches, the Most Powerful Indian Tribe in American History by S.C. Gwynne -The war with the Comanches lasted four decades, in effect holding up the development of the new American nation. Gwynne’s exhilarating account delivers a sweeping narrative that encompasses Spanish colonialism, the Civil War, the destruction of the buffalo herds, and the arrival of the railroads—a historical feast for anyone interested in how the United States came into being. Against this backdrop Gwynne presents the compelling drama of Cynthia Ann Parker, a lovely nine-year-old girl with cornflower-blue eyes who was kidnapped by Comanches from the far Texas frontier in 1836. She grew to love her captors and became infamous as the "White Squaw" who refused to return until her tragic capture by Texas Rangers in 1860. More famous still was her son Quanah, a warrior who was never defeated and whose guerrilla wars in the Texas Panhandle made him a legend.

S. C. Gwynne’s account of these events is meticulously researched, intellectually provocative, and, above all, thrillingly told. Empire of the Summer Moon announces him as a major new writer of American history.

"Man for man, the Comanches were the fiercest and most resourceful warriors in North America, and they held onto their domain with an almost otherworldly tenacity. In this sweeping work, S.C. Gwynne recreates the Comanche's lost world with gusto and style—and without sentimentality. After reading Empire of the Summer Moon, you'll never think about Texas, or the Great Plains, in quite the same way again." Hampton Sides, author of Blood and Thunder and Hellhound On His Trail.

Mind in the Making: The Seven Essential Life Skills Every Child Needs by Ellen Galinsky -There are hundreds of books that give parents advice on everything from weaning to toilet training, from discipline to nutrition. But in spite of this overwhelming amount of information, there is very little research-based advice for parents on how to raise their children to be well rounded and achieve their full potential, helping them learn to take on life's challenges, communicate well with others, and remain committed to learning. These are the "essential life skills" that Ellen Galinsky has spent her career pursuing, through her own studies and through decades of talking with more than a hundred of the most outstanding researchers in child development and neuroscience. The good news is that there are simple everyday things that all parents can do to build these skills in their children for today and for the future. They don't cost money, and it's never too late to begin.

Mind in the Making is a truly groundbreaking book, one that teaches parents how to give children the most important tools they will need. Already acclaimed by such thought leaders as T. Berry Brazelton, M.D., David A. Hamburg, M.D., Adele Faber, and Judy Woodruff, Mind in the Making is destined to become a classic in the literature of parenting.

Saving Gracie: How One Dog Escaped the Shadowy World of American Puppy Mills by Carol Bradley - In the United States alone, an estimated 10,000 cramped kennels produce as many as 4 million dogs a year—innocent, often diseased, and emotionally damaged animals who are then sold to unsuspecting families as "purebred" puppies. Worse, some—like Gracie—are kept behind and turned into breeding stock, doomed to a life of confinement with nothing to look forward to but monotony and loneliness. But not every puppy mill dog has a sad ending, as you'll learn in this heartwarming book. Saving Gracie uses the poignant transformation of a scruffy Cavalier King Charles Spaniel, who was rescued from her sentence as a breeding dog, to tell the story of America's hidden puppy mills. Award-winning journalist Carol Bradley chronicles Gracie's makeover from a bedraggled animal worn out from bearing puppies into a loving, healthy member of her new family and follows her owner, Linda, as she becomes passionately determined to save Gracie's life and spread the word about the millions of other puppy mill dogs who need our help. Saving Gracie will open your eyes, warm your heart, and call you to action.

The Power of Half: One Family’s Decision to Stop Taking and Start Giving Back by Kevin and Hannah Salwen -It all started when 14-year old Hannah Salwen, idealistic but troubled by a growing sense of injustice in the world, had a eureka moment when a homeless man in her neighborhood was juxtaposed against a glistening Mercedes coupe. "You know, Dad," she said, pointing, "If that man had a less nice car, that man there could have a meal." This glaring disparity led the Salwen family of four, caught up like so many other Americans in this age of consumption and waste, to follow Hannah's urge to do something, to finally just do something. And so they embarked on an incredible journey together from which there would be no turning back. They decided to sell their Atlanta mansion, downsize to a house half its size, and give half of their profits to a worthy charity. At first it was an outlandish scheme. "What, are you crazy? No way!" Then it was a challenge. "We are TOTALLY doing this." Each week they met over dinner to discuss their plan. It would transport them across the globe and well out of their comfort zone. Along the way they would inspire so many others wrestling with the same questions: Do I give enough? How much is enough? How can I make an impact in the world? In the end the Salwens' journey would bring them closer as a family, as they discovered, together, that half could be so much more. Warm, funny, deeply moving and wholly uplifting, The Power of Half is the story of how one family slammed the door on the status quo and threw away the key.