Listen! by Stephanie S. Tolan

Listen! by Stephanie S. Tolan is based on the true story of the author's experience taming a wild dog.  In the novel, Charley is recovering from a terrible car accident which shattered her leg.  She is also recovering from the loss of her mother.  She died in a plane crash on her way to take pictures as a professional photographer of nature.  Charley and her father are doing their best to deal with these two tragedies, but things are tough for them both.  That is, until Charley sees Coyote for the first time.  He's wild, and he's been hanging around the lake where they live, playing with the local dogs.  No one has been able to get close to Coyote, but Charley makes it her mission to tame him and make him her pet.  Although it takes much longer than she thought, Charley is slowly finding success with Coyote.  Unexpectedly, she's also finding success in working through her mother's death, rehabilitating her broken leg, and reestablishing a relationship with her father.

I loved this book.  At first I didn't want to read it because I was certain the adorable dog on the cover (which happens to look JUST LIKE my own dog) was going to meet some horrible fate.  Thankfully, I needn't have worried!  I especially liked the author's note at the end which told about her own experience with a dog like Coyote, and even showed pictures of them together.  At right is a picture from Stephanie S. Tolan's website of herself and the dog on which this story is based.  I would recommend this book to anyone!