McGowan is a widely acclaimed writer of young adult and children’s books. Lark won the Carnegie Medal and The Knife that Killed Me was made into a film. Amidst the gore and trauma is a remarkable and intimate story of loyalty and love, resilience, survival and hope. This hard-hitting, compelling story of life on the streets for an abandoned dog and his search for the boy who loves him. This is NOT a fluffy dog story full of cuteness. This is brutal, dark and dog-eat-dog... so to speak.

Dogs of the Deadlands: SHORTLISTED FOR THE WEEK JUNIOR BOOK Dogs of the Deadlands: SHORTLISTED FOR THE WEEK JUNIOR BOOK

It’s April 1986 and, not far from the Chernobyl nuclear plant, a little girl can’t sleep. It’s her 7 th birthday and today her greatest wish came true. The puppy she had always dreamed of is finally hers and she is overcome with excitement and love.

McGowan's ambition to write a realistic survival story about dogs in Chernobyl paid off. Writing a story with animals as main characters, with the only dialogue coming from human characters, and having it be just as heartfelt, engaging, and anxiety-inducing as if it were humans is no easy feat. Yet McGowan pulls it off. He conveys different personalities from these animals, and I could easily distinguish them from one another, despite them not speaking any words. Overall, Dogs of the Deadlands is a magical tale of love, loss, loyalty, hope, survival, separation, and reconciliation. It not only teaches us a lot about the animal kingdom but also gives us deep insights into humanity. I recommend this book to anyone and everyone. People who love dogs and tales of survival would especially enjoy this book. Book Details For more posts like this, here’s the link: https://thechrysalisbrewproject.com/category/bookish-posts/. Disclaimer and Disclosure A powerful glimpse at the untold stories of those often forgotten, will raise questions in young readers about Chernobyl and energy safety. Set in the immediate aftermath of the Chernobyl disaster and the years following, it’s a raw, unflinching and blisteringly well-written story of dogs Misha and Bratan and their life in the wild woods surrounding the power plant. One time later, growing up in the shadow of the ruined nuclear power plant, pups Misha and Bratan have to learn how to live in the wild and fast. But will the dogs survive without humans? And can a human live without them?

Dogs of the Deadlands | Oxford Literary Festival Dogs of the Deadlands | Oxford Literary Festival

He would grumble about the decline and fall of the old Soviet Union. "Once the people were in charge. Now only oligarchs. Billionaires. Thieves," he would mutter." - This example. so much wrong in these two sentences. While I don't want to go down the road explaining the history in this review... and while some people in occupied countries might have thought (or still think), this is absolutely disgusting message to send to the kids. If the story is meant and aimed for adults, or young adults and the author feels the need to include politics (which is not bad thing per se), some knowledge of the era, country and its history would be beneficial. I'm not sure if I could believe though that loss of a puppy would have such drastic consequences and result in a person being so reclusive with no relationships whatsoever well into the adulthood. Don't get me wrong, I know how sensitive children are, but it seemed too much. Will Zoya survive? If so, how will she make a life for herself in the wild? What about Natasha? How will her life be after losing everything including her beloved puppy? Will she ever be able to reunite with Zoya?This visceral story of heartbreak and survival...has the memorable feel of a classic.’ Guardian, Best children’s and YA books of 2022 This gripping and unusual tale imagines how life might have evolved for the domestic animals forced to become wild in the aftermath of the Chernobyl disaster and the repercussions for their owners.