Strider has a new habit. Whenever we stop, he places his paw on my foot. It isn't an accident because he always does it. I like to think he doesn't want to leave me.Can a stray dog change the life of a teenage boy? It looks as if Strider can. He's a dog that loves to run; because of Strider, Leigh Botts finds himself running -- well enough to join the school track team. Strider changes Leigh on the inside, too, as he finally begins to accept his parents' divorce and gets to know a redheaded girl he's been admiring. With Strider's help, Leigh finds that the future he once hated to be asked about now holds something he never expected: hope.

 

This book was recognised in the Grades 6-8 category by the Young Hoosier Book Award. It was recognised in the Grades 4-6 category by the Black-Eyed Susan Award.

There are 174 pages in this book. This book was published 2001 by HarperCollins Publishers Inc .

Paul Zelinsky is one of America's most original and celebrated illustrators. He studied with Maurice Sendak at Yale University and it was Sendak who inspired him to pursue a career in children's books. He is best known for his internationally successful novelty title, The Wheels On the Bus, and he has won the prestigious Caldecott Medal three times. He lives in New York with his wife and two daughters. Beverly Cleary is one of America's most popular authors and her many successful stories, including the best-selling Beezus and Ramona series, have delighted children all over the world for many years. Beverly Cleary's books have earned her many prestigious awards, including the American Library Association's Laura Ingalls Wilder Award, presented in recognition of her lasting contribution to children's literature. She lives in California and is the mother of grown-up twins. The Beezus and Ramona books are now the subject of a major motion picture starring Selena Gomez and Joey King.