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The Spotted Dog Last Seen

Language(s): English

Derek isn't happy about having to do repair duty at the old cemetery for his grade-six community service project. He has worked hard to get past the loss of a neighbor who was hit by a car, and now he is worried that spending time in a cemetery might bring his nightmares back.

But when the lessons on cemetery care turn out to be so strange and interesting, Derek doesn't have time to dwell on the past. And when it rains, the lessons take place in the nearby public library, which means he can avoid the cemetery altogether - at least for an afternoon.

One day, an anonymous donation arrives at the library. It's copies of a new mystery novel, with a secret code penciled inside. And when Derek and his friends Merrilee and Pascal track the clues from one mystery novel to the next, they discover a time capsule filled with clues that may finally help Derek put his haunting past to rest.

"Although this book deals with the serious, devastating subject of the loss of a child, its tone is gentle and humorous. Jessica Scott Kerrin treats death and coping, not often discussed with children, in a realistic yet optimistic way. The book is also about the joy and escape of reading, as well as the release and therapy of writing. Mysterious on many levels, the novel's largest mysteries are about death itself and how to live." Canadian Children's Booknews, winter 2014

"During the course of the book, a cemetery goes from a frightening place to be avoided to a place of comfort for those who have lost someone. Kerrin shows that a cemetery is much more about the living than it is about the dead." Association of Gravestone Studies Quarterly, spring 2014

"The author tells this story simply yet leads readers to several climatic sections with lots of twists and turns. This realistic fiction is well-written and well-developed. Highly recommended." Library Media Connections, 2014

"Kerrin understands this age group and creates a sympathetic protagonist who will draw in readers...portraying authentic preteen feelings of self-doubt, self-consciousness, and even guilt. Going far beyond mystery book conventions, Spotted Dog is also a well-told story of growth and self-forgiveness." School Library Journal starred review, December 2013

"Derek tells his own story, allowing readers to empathize with his fears and struggles as he comes to grips with them. The supporting characters are pleasingly eccentric, and the action is fast-paced. The plot is convoluted and deals with some serious issues, but it all comes together in a manner that seems perfectly reasonable. Surprising twists and turns amid laughter and tears." Kirkus Reviews, September 15, 2013

"It takes great skill to balance suspense, adequate pacing of plot, and necessary levity for a heavy plot. in The Spotted Dog Last Seen, Jessica Scott Kerrin manages to excel at this nuanced storytelling, all complemented by her excellent writing. The many threads of the intricate plot could easily come undone in the hands of a less-skilled writer, but Kerrin manages to knot the ending nicely. The reader is left wondering, until the last minute possible, what the solution to this puzzle will be. And the resolution is a wonderfully satisfying wrap-up to a fantastic quest." CM: Canadian Review of Materials, Vol. 10, No. 7, 2013.