The Story of Edgar Sawtelle

I have to admit that it took me awhile to pick this up - mostly because of its size, but once I did, it was difficult to put down. Edgar Sawtelle, mute from birth, and his family raise and train pure-bred dogs. Edgar has an incredible ability to communicate with dogs; in particular his own dog, Almondine. Several chapters are told from the dog's point of view. Edgar sets out to prove that his father was murdered but another death causes him to run away with three of the prize dogs. Set in the backwoods of Wisconsin, this multi-faceted story is a coming-of-age story, a story of friendship between a boy and his dogs, and a story filled with mystery. The images portrayed by Wroblewski , in his first novel, are powerful. Great adult reading - also advanced young adults.