Pine Grove is in the path of a forest fire and Cara and her family must evacuate their home immediately, but in the rush to leave the house Cara’s dog Mike goes missing and they are forced to leave him behind.

Missing Mike is a stunning ode to the powerful relationship between people and pets. With my own snoozing dog at my side I was close to tears at many moments while reading Cara’s reflections on what Mike means to her and the moments of comfort and love he brought to her life. I love that Cara is very active trying to find Mike doing everything she can think of to find him.

Missing Mike fits well into current events as wild fires become more common and more destructive. It provides a stirring portrait of loss and grief. It’s a great book to help young people empathize with people struck by disaster.

I posted a review to my Goodreads account and will actively recommend this book.

Missing Mike by Shari Green is an amazing novel-in-verse that explores the meaning of home through the eyes of 10-year-old Cara. After evacuating a fire zone without her beloved dog, Cara’s family most depend on the kindness of strangers. Cara is sensitive, compassionate, and earnest, and desperate to find Mike. At its heart, this story is about loss and how we cope with its long reach into every corner of our lives and hearts. I loved Cara for her love of words, love for Mike, love for her family. This book is a perfect way for readers to explore their own meaning of home. While I did cry quite a few tears throughout reading it, I adore this book and will definitely add it to my class library!

This book is written in lyrical free verse, just like the other book I read from this author, Root Beer Candy and Other Miracles, which was my top MG choice for 2016. The one thing I appreciated in both of these books is the MCs think and react appropriate to their ages. I have read several Middle Grades over the last couple of years where the elementary school age characters think like 40 year old mental health therapists. Kids want to relate to the characters in MG! I love it when young characters are sometimes confused or angered by what the adult characters do, and/or say; just like in real life. Green is also skilled at portraying family dynamics in a realistic way. This story was Middle Grade perfection for me.

One element that had my heart from the beginning was Mike was both a rescue shelter dog and a less adoptable choice having only one eye. The major themes in this story were what makes a family, and what makes a place home. The author used more than one contrasting example for each. This is important in MG books.

This was the first book I have read by this author and I absolutely loved it!  The imagery was fantastic.  Being from Iowa, I don't have any experience with forest fires but the author describes it so vividly.  The descriptions of the heat and smell of the wildfire made feel like I was there.  The book is beautifully written in verse which I think is perfect for middle grade.  My favorite things about this book is one, the family got Mike from a shelter.  Two, even during a crisis, the main character, Caera, volunteers to help other people displaced because of the fires. And three, I loved the theme of family and the feeling of being home even when you can't be home and what that means to different people.  This was brought up several times during the story and was cleverly done by it being talked about with Caera and the different people she meets at the crisis center.

So did she find the dog or not? You need to read it to find out! Written in verse and quick to read. A great book for middle school students and YA.

A tug at your heartstrings story. Especially for animal lovers. I loved Mike from the beginning and was hurting that he was lost. A great middle grade read.

I was hesitant to read this story as it involves wild fires and a missing dog. All too often pets are left behind during natural disasters and it kills me to know that. I am also grateful that society's view on that issue are changing and people can now evac with their pets. Still, the idea of this story sort of horrified me. Forced myself to read it anyway, one sitting, front to back, at my quickest reading pace. What I discovered is a very good story full of hope. it's written in free verse, I believe, but it's hard to say for sure as I read it on a Kindle. But it was suspenseful and well written and just right for kids 4th grade up.

Another lovely verse novel from Shari Green. This story has a bit more intensity than her previous, quieter novels, with the looming threat of a wildfire and a family dog in peril. It's beautifully told, a heartfelt exploration of home and loss and hope.

Thank you to Netgalley for an eARC of this book.

I read this book just to find out if she finds her dog.....I won't say yay or nay but WOW! this was a good book.

This book hit really close to home for me because it's about a girl who has to evacuate her house to avoid wildfires when her beloved dog, Mike, gets left behind.

A few months ago, my own area was affected by massive wildfires, my school was closed and several of my friends were evacuated, one of them lost their house in the fires (Northern California/Napa area 2017). I remember watching videos of an owner coming home and finding their dog still alive and waiting for them. I wanted this for Cara, I needed this for Cara. It's something children in my state can relate.

One of the journeys, I also appreciated was the idea of how to define what a home is. Cara accumulating the different words and ideas of home was very touching. And I very much enjoyed Shari Green's writing style.

I plan on reading this to my students once the book is released. I know my students will be drawn into the story and wonder/hope Cara is reunited with Mike.

Thank you to NetGalley for an eARC of this book. All opinions are my own.

I am a big fan of Shari Green's writing style, and once again, her poetic voice drew me into a story that's heartfelt, and real.

Cara and her family are forced to evacuate their home when a forest fire comes too near to their hometown of Pine Grove. As they are loading their vehicle, Cara's dog, Mike, runs away, and the family is forced to flee with him. After a harrowing escape, they find temporary accommodations with a host family, but Cara cannot bear the thought of Mike out there on his own. Not only is she desperate to find Mike, but other factors beyond her control are threatening her sense of stability. Cara must find a way to accept the changes that are taking place, while holding on to hope for the future.

The author has an excellent grasp of the thoughts and feelings of her characters, and they ring true to life. Cara's sadness and worry feel authentic, and the issues surrounding her evacuation (the family stress, concern for Mike and her home, the impact of the situation on her best friend) make the situation feel complex and multi-faceted. I think young readers will enjoy the tension that runs throughout this book, and its length and style makes it extremely accessible to readers of multiple ages.

Although a novel in verse is difficult to read as an eARC with its formatting issues (which impacted my enjoyment of this book, to no fault of the author, or the story), I definitely look forward to reading this story again in its final form.



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