Secret of the Mountain Dog - Hardcover

Kimmel, Elizabeth Cody

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0545603692 ISBN 13: 9780545603690

Publisher: Scholastic Press, 2014

Synopsis

The mysterious dog showed up at Jax's door just when she needed an adventure. But adventure sometimes brings trouble -- and dangers that even a great dog can't help you escape.

In the Catskill Mountains, mystery is waiting . . . .

Just when she needs it most, a little excitement comes to Jax's mountain. First, a beautiful, giant dog stops at her door. Even though he has no collar, the Tibetan mastiff doesn't act like a stray -- and he seems to want to stay with Jax.

Then lights appear in the old, abandoned monastery up the mountain. The mastiff, who likes being called Mo-Mo, leads Jax to the mountaintop. There she meets a boy her age, Yeshi, who has come all the way from Tibet with his teacher to open the abandoned building -- and to search for a long-lost statue, possibly hidden away in the monastery.

But someone else is searching for the statue, too, and when Jax's adventure turns dangerous, she'll have to count on her new friend, and the mysterious dog that's found her, to get her back down the mountain safely.

About this title

About the Author

Elizabeth Cody Kimmel is the author of many books for young readers, including SECRET OF THE MOUNTAIN DOG, LEGEND OF THE GHOST DOG, BALTO AND THE GREAT RACE, and the Suddenly Supernatural series. She lives with her family in New York's Hudson Valley and spends her spare time reading, hiking, and trying to communicate telepathically with her beagle. You can find her online at www.codykimmel.com.

From School Library Journal

Gr 4–7—Twelve-year-old Jax and her family live in the last house on a mountain road in a small town tucked into New York's Catskill Mountains. Higher up the slope sits an abandoned structure of unknown origins that local legend claims is haunted and has hidden rooms. One day, Jax finds a beautiful dog, without tags, sitting near her driveway. She brings him home to shelter him until his owners are found. Later that night, while looking out her window, Jax's gaze is drawn to a light coming from the mountaintop, and she realizes it's from the abandoned building. Jax, an experienced hiker, and the dog she's named Mo-Mo, head up the mountain to investigate. They find a Buddhist monk and his student, who have traveled from Tibet to reopen the monastery. So begins a mystery where the purpose of the building and its contents are revealed. The result is an "East meets West" adventure with the concepts of Buddhism entwined into prophesy, symbolism, a lost artifact, art thieves, and a protective dog. Jax is an intelligent, self-reliant girl, so the frequent anxieties of her overprotective mother come across as unnecessary and do not move the plot forward. A conversation toward the end of book concerning the impact of the Chinese takeover of Tibet feels awkward and hastily included. Still, middle grade readers with a penchant for mysteries and multicultural experiences will enjoy this.—Sharon Lawler, Texas Bluebonnet Award Committee, San Antonio, TX

About this edition

• Publisher: Scholastic Press
• Publication date: 2014
• ISBN 10: 0545603692
• ISBN 13: 9780545603690
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 208