Finder, Coal Mine Dog

by Alison Hart, Michael G. Montgomery (Illustrator)

Overview

A boy and his dog survive the 1909 Cherry Mine disaster in this action-packed and heartwarming story.

When Thomas's family needs money, he's forced to go to work in the coal mines, even though neither of his late parents wanted that for him. His only comfort is his dog Finder, a failed hunting dog who now pulls a cart in the mines. When disaster strikes, can Thomas and Finder escape from the fires deep below ground?

The Dog Chronicles series features fast-paced, fascinating historical fiction about working dogs, perfect for readers who love books.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781561457663
Publisher:	Holiday House
Publication date:	09/06/2016
Series:	Dog Chronicles , #3
Sold by:	Penguin Random House Publisher Services
Format:	eBook
Pages:	192
File size:	9 MB
Age Range:	7 - 10 Years

About the Author

When Alison Hart was seven years old, she wrote, illustrated, and self-published a book called The Wild Dog. Since then, she's authored more than sixty books for young readers. A former teacher, she lives in Virginia.

Michael G. Montgomery attended Georgia Southern University and the University of Georgia and has created illustrations for magazines, books, newspapers, and advertising. The illustrator of several books for children, he lives in Georgia.

Editorial Reviews

"Suspenseful"—The Horn Book Guide

"Well-told and entertaining"—Kirkus Reviews

From the Publisher

2015-07-15
A dog becomes a hero to trapped coal miners in this third book of Hart's Dog Chronicles series (Mercy, Gold Rush Dog, 2014, etc.). Young Finder, a mountain cur pup, has a wonderful nose for tracking but proves too gun-shy to be a hunting dog. Times are hard on the Illinois prairies in 1909; Finder's family, Uncle, Aunt, and 14-year-old Thomas, struggle under debt despite Uncle's job at the Cherry Coal Mine, and the family can't afford to feed nonworking members. Thomas has no choice but to fake his age and take a job deep in the mines as a digger, shoveling loosened coal into carts. Finder goes with him—Thomas has trained him to haul a small cart, and Finder can reach places the mine's mules can't. When fire breaks out, Finder not only leads Thomas to safety, but goes back to rescue several miners. Told from Finder's point of view, the story moves energetically with much of the exposition necessarily told in dialogue that the dog fully comprehends. Many miners die in the disaster—a real event in history, though Finder and his family are fictional—but Hart steers clear of graphic details to keep the story age-appropriate. Brief but interesting backmatter explains that, despite some legal restrictions, child workers were common in mines at this time. Animals, including goats, dogs, ponies, and mules, also often worked below, and tracking dogs sometimes work in mines today. Well-told and entertaining, a solid dog story. (Historical fiction. 8-12)

Kirkus Reviews