Junkyard Dogs

By: Jamie Steinberg

Josh has suffered way too many tragedies for someone who is only seventeen years old. He lost his mother in a fire when their house burned down. His father does odd jobs and disappears for long periods of time. Plus, he and his nine-year-old brother Woodrow (known as “Twig”) are having to live with their hostile and less than loving grandmother in a trailer park. The only thing has going for him is his talent for basketball. With so much on his shoulders, Josh does his best to keep both he and his brother fed while also doing what it takes to remain on the basketball team. That is until his father dips out again. Can Josh keep his head above water with school and basketball while also raising his brother and trying to locate his father? Find out when you pick up and explore the captivating book Junkyard Dogs.

Josh carries so much weight on his shoulders. He blames himself for his mother’s death since he wanted to stay home the day the fire broke out. He lives with his grandmother, and she is less than warm and friendly. Josh sneaks scraps of food, free samples at the mall and giveaway meals at the community center to keep them from starving. All of this on top of being a shining star on the high school basketball team. When his father leaves him a note and some money to look after his little brother, Josh adds more to his already heavy heart. To keep on his grandmother’s good side and to give Twig a roof over his head, he pays her two hundred dollars while he crashes on a teammates’ couch (giving her one less mouth to feed). That is until he is reunited with his father’s former friend Stan. Stan was a large fixture in Josh’s life before his mother passed, so with his father disappearing he hopes that this reunion will give him some clues as to where he can find him. Unfortunately, it only brings more stress to Josh’s life. Stan thinks local bad guy Jimmy Dean may have something to do with the disappearance and there is the small fact that his father also stole a thousand dollars from Stan. To make up the lost money and to help Josh pay his rent to his grandma, Stan puts him to work along with his crew, made up of a young man named Chick and Chick’s beautiful girlfriend Ruthie, dropping into manholes and stealing copper wire. Chick is less than thrilled to add a new body to the team and a new person taking up room in their underground home known as “The Castle.”

Author Katherine Higgs-Coulthard weaves an exceptional story that truly intrigues the reader. You want only good things for Josh and Twig. You feel utterly heartbroken for Josh and all of the hardships he is having to face. You want him to reunite with his father and maybe get back to the once happy family they had. And, more than anything, you want his talents for basketball to give Josh all that he needs to never go back to this tough life.

Junkyard Dogs is an absolute page turner to the point you will not want to put the book down. I found myself up late many a night following Josh’s perseverance and hoping that the next chapter would bring a bit of levity to his life. Whether you are a young adult reader or not, this is one story you will want to hug your family tight after reading.