The Soul of the Silver Dog Hardcover by Lynn Hall
 
As Cory's family rallies around her sister to help her fight cystic fibrosis, Cory is left to find comfort in the family of her best friend and regains her strength and spirit through training their blind dog for competition.
 
From School Library Journal
Grade 6-9-- When 14-year-old Cory first touches the blind Bedlington terrier--once a champion show dog--the two bond instantly. Cory hasn't adjusted to the change in her family following the arrival of her sister, who was born with cystic fibrosis. Bethy's lifelong illness, her need for care, and subsequent death has created a breach between Cory and her well-meaning but still grieving parents. Together, she and the dog, Sterling, find new purpose, as she trains the former champ in the agility category; he provides the unconditional love she needs. Effectively alternating Cory and Sterling's perspectives, the narrative poignantly reveals the characters. Set in a small Illinois town, the story focuses on these two with such intensity that the other participants are relegated to the fringes. Once launched, the action moves rapidly into the preparation for the competition. Obstacles are resolved and readiness achieved with incredible ease; the ending is unsatisfactorily abrupt. Despite these weaknesses, this book will touch readers' hearts by believably re-creating the special relationship that can develop between child and pet, and by realistically addressing the complex emotions resulting from the fatal illness of a sibling. --Carrol McCarthy, Tower Hill School, Wilmington, DE
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc.
 
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