The Secret Dog

12-year-old Josh was sent to live with his Uncle Calum on a remote Scottish island after his mother died five years ago. Even though Josh has been on the island for five years now, he’s still seen as an outsider, and spends most of his time on his own, roaming around the countryside. Josh has a real love for animals, and always find ways to help any animals he finds injured or ill. When he finds a puppy by the side of a river, he decides to take her home and nurse her back to health. He calls the puppy Reggae, after his mother’s favourite kind of music, and finds a way to look after her in secret. He hatches a plan to train Reggae as a working dog, and enter her into the annual island sheep dog competition – The Gathering. The story goes into a lot of detail about how to train a border collie, which may not be interesting for everyone, but the account of life on the island feels authentic and well researched. It’s a heart-warming story about bravery, and perseverance. Josh is a sensitive and caring boy, yet he finds the courage to stand up to dangerous and threatening bullies. Josh finds a true friend in the vet’s daughter Yvonne, and wins the admiration of the tightknit crofting community, as well as unlocking emotions buried deep in his uncle’s heart. Animal lovers will be rooting for Reggae, the super-intelligent and skilled Border collie, who is also the hero of the story!