Written Ron Koertge
Published by Candlewick, 2007
ISBN 9780763627058

Strays opens with sixteen-year-old Ted in the back seat of a social worker’s car. His mother and father recently died in a car crash, catapulting him into the foster care system and into the home of two unstable foster parents. His real parents had owned a pet shop, and while Ted was a loner and got bullied at school, he found solace with animals. Now, separated from everything familiar in his life, his connection with animals grounds him and develops in an unusual way. But with people he still feels awkward.  When he makes friends with another foster kid, his social life and confidence open up. The writing is tight and full of great dialogue and the story is speckled with strays – of all kinds. Koertge’s wicked sense of humor feels natural among these characters. Favorite line from Ted’s friend, Sarah’s perspective: “I’ve got to put some potato salad out in the sun for people who get on my nerves.”

—Kari Baumbach