Strays - by Gia Gordon (Paperback)

About the Book

A girl learns the true meaning of home after forming a life-changing relationship with a stray dog in this irresistibly endearing middle-grade novel, reminiscent of beloved and bestselling stories like Wish, Pax, and Because of Winn-Dixie.

Book Synopsis

"Strays is perfection." --Barbara O'Connor, New York Times-bestselling author of Wish

"Funny. Touching. Empowering." --Ellen Hopkins, New York Times-bestselling author of What About Will and Closer to Nowhere

A girl learns the true meaning of home after forming a life-changing relationship with a stray dog in this irresistibly endearing middle-grade novel, reminiscent of beloved and bestselling stories like Wish, Pax, and Because of Winn-Dixie.

Campbell Cole has a big heart for all living things, especially strays. It might be because her father, the director of the local animal control, is as aloof as they come, so Campbell knows what it's like to feel alone.

When she spots an adorable dog being dumped on the street, the last thing Campbell can do is tell her dad. He might take the pup straight to the shelter, where new rescues have just three days to be adopted. The only person she can trust with the truth is her best friend, Luz.

The more time Campbell spends trying to catch the dog, the more he starts to trust her, which is both great and terrible because Campbell knows she can't keep him. But perhaps she doesn't have to. With the help of Luz's father, an army vet grappling with PTSD, she just may find a solution that benefits not only the dog, but everyone else, too.

Gia Gordon's Strays is a beautifully written, heartfelt novel about friendship, family, and finding the courage to stand up for what's right, that will resonate with anyone who has ever struggled to find a place to call home.

If you loved Strays, don't miss Gia Gordon's acclaimed middle-grade debut My So-Called Family.

Review Quotes

A Junior Library Guild Selection

"A heartbreaking, satisfying, ultimately uplifting story about a puppy in need of a home. Strays is perfection."
--Barbara O'Connor, New York Times-bestselling author of Wish

"Funny. Touching. Empowering. A necessary read for anyone who's ever felt like they didn't belong. Every stray deserves a loving home." --Ellen Hopkins, New York Times-bestselling author of What About Will and Closer to Nowhere

"With tenderness and luminous clarity, Gia Gordon delivers a middle-grade novel that honors the kids who feel lost, left behind, or unseen. Through Campbell's fierce compassion for a frightened stray dog and her aching hope for connection, Strays explores friendship, family fractures, and the quiet bravery it takes to choose kindness in a world that doesn't always return it. Gordon's writing is effortless and intimate--funny one moment, heartbreaking the next--capturing the messy, resilient hearts of real tweens on the edge of change and the adults that learn to heal alongside them. A beautifully crafted story that will stay with readers long after the final page." --David Bowles, award-winning author of They Call Me Güero and The Smoking Mirror

"One day, Campbell Cole's life takes an unexpected turn when she sees a helpless dog being dropped out of a van window, like trash. She will not stand for this. Who would do such a thing? With the help of her best friend, Luz Bernal, the two girls embark on a mission to rescue the stray dog, before it's too late. Readers will root for Campbell and Luz in this big-hearted, beautifully-told story about a young girl's courage, the power of taking risks, the healing bonds of friendship and found community, and about finding purpose and joy in unexpected places. This story will make anyone want to take the risk...you never know what new purpose it will give you." --Anna Lapera, author of Mani Semilla Finds Her Quetzal Voice, a Best Book of the Year (School Library Journal, Booklist, New York Public Library) and a 2025 International Literacy Association Honor Book

"Gordon writes with deep empathy for each character, and as Campbell recognizes 'the way two people can experience the same thing but see it so differently, ' she develops greater compassion for the relationship struggles of her parents, Luz's parents, and even herself and [her friend] Luz. When Campbell and Luz eventually do catch Tater Tot, the pup becomes a catalyst for honest, open conversations within and between their families; what's hard doesn't become easy, but there's more hope. An insightful, well-characterized exploration of love and trust."--Kirkus Reviews

"While difficult goodbyes and sad truths abound, an ultimately hopeful ending (and a happy one for the stray pup) awaits readers. Have the tissues ready." --Booklist

"Gordon (My So-Called Family) artfully balances weighty themes with gentle humor in this heartwarming story about a white-cued tween resolving to rescue a stray dog. Affable, accessible prose deftly addresses difficult realities surrounding peoples' handling of unhoused animals and challenges faced by families coping with grief and mental health. It's a compassionate narrative about responsibility, friendship, and empathy."--Publishers Weekly

"Gordon masterly delivers the experience of a middle grade student living in the aftermath of trauma in a raw and honest way. Themes of friendship, parental abandonment, family trauma, mental health, dog rescue, and father-daughter relationships are explored with honesty and eventual hope." --School Library Journal

About the Author

Gia Gordon is a disabled author, youth activist, and thirty-year veteran educator who taught Spanish and ELD in northern California and helped establish the school's first conflict resolution program. She is a co-founder of the nonprofit Never Counted Out, which provides books to classrooms and community programs with limited access. Gia is also the author of the middle-grade novels My So-Called Family and Strays. Common themes in Gia's work include chosen and found family, hidden identities, and living one's truth. When she's not writing, Gia can be found thrifting or turning no-longer-wanted household goods into beautifully reimagined art.