Lara's Gift

Young Lara is being groomed in the family tradition to take over as Count Vorontsov's next kennel steward, breeding borzoi dogs worthy of the Tsar. But when Lara's baby brother is born, she finds herself supplanted as her father decides to make him the next kennel steward. Lara has a special gift of understanding these incredible dogs--a gift that her father eyes with fear and superstition. Can Lara convince him to let her fulfill her destiny with the noble borzoi? And can she save her favorite dog, Zar, and the rest of the borzoi from a hungry pack of wolves threatening life on the estate? Set in Imperial Russia, full of cover and authenticity, this is a powerful, moving, and impeccably researched story of one girl's love for her dog--and her desire to fulfill her prophetic dreams and destiny.