Not a Dog

The Trouble With Heroes meets Murray Out of Water in this empowering middle grade novel-in-verse about a boy who discovers that caring for a small life (a cat!) can help him steady his own.

Ollie calls his panic attacks storms, and lately they’ve been picking up speed. With his meteorologist mom away chasing real weather in Oklahoma, his dad sinking into silence, and a bully making school difficult, Ollie is desperate to take cover.

After a dog comforts him through an unexpected storm at a birthday party, Ollie is convinced a canine pal is the answer to his anxiety. With his own birthday on the horizon, this is the perfect time to ask for one. But when the big day rolls around, Ollie gets…a kitten. Small. Quiet. Scared. Not a dog.

Ollie doesn’t think this timid cat will help him at all—until a school project brings him face-to-face with his bully and things take a turn. Will Ollie succumb to the rumble and roar of his storms? Or can Not-a-Dog show him that bravery doesn’t always bark?