Gather, by Kenneth M. Cadow

     Author Cadow's first book, Gather is the story of Ian, short for Dorian (named after Dorian Gray?), a teenager growing up in rural Vermont. Ian's mom is a drug addict, his dad left his life long before, and Ian is living on farmland that has been in his family for generations. He loves the farm and the surrounding land, and he knows it like the back of his hand. But trying to keep his mom sober, safe and working as well as trying to navigate high school proves to be a lot for Ian. He'd much rather be outside doing something productive with his hands and Gather than inside, trying to manage classrooms and bullies. 

    Gather, the name of this book, is also the name of the stray dog that wanders into Ian's life early in the story, and becomes Ian's best friend. But this isn't a dog book, or really a book about the dog, which makes the reader wonder at using the dog's name as the title. If someone came into the library and asked for a "dog book", Gather wouldn't be the first book I would mention (or even the second) - as a dog book, that is. It is a very good book, winner of the Printz Honor Award and a National Book Award Finalist. But it's isn't a "dog book", it's a book with a dog in it.

    Gather, the book, reminds me a lot of a 1950s book Catcher in the Rye, by J.D. Salinger. Written long before I was even a wee pup, I remember it being raw and real and honest, with language a teenager would use if she or he was really examining the world around them and reporting very honestly what they saw and felt. At that time, this was new and exciting for a young reader like me! That is what Gather is, a newer version of Catcher in the Rye. I don't think it will hold a place in history like Catcher has, but it's pretty solid. The language is strong, but realistic coming from Ian's mouth and mind. Not everything goes wrong for Ian, but plenty of things don't end well. 

    I would recommend this to any 8th grader, or more mature 7th grader, wanting to read some realistic fiction that is more real than most. A lot of windows in this story, and a few mirrors as well. It took me a while to really fall into Cadow's writing style, but once I did, this was hard to put down. I look forward to his next book. This one is a solid 4 paws and a wag!