Stray [Mass Market Paperback]

Stacey Goldblatt (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 14, 2009

“[Stray] will attract readers who love dogs as well as a good first love story.”—Booklist

Sixteen-year-old Natalie Kaplan has a special talent: when she meets a person, she knows right away what kind of dog they’d be. Natalie herself resembles an Ibizan hound—quiet, playful, loyal, smart, and above all, obedient.

Just like the Ibizan, Natalie is very mindful of her master’s rules, but at the first sign of freedom, she is prone to stray. And who can blame her when the gorgeous and mysterious Carver Reed comes to live with the Kaplan family for the summer? Little by little, Natalie is drawn to Carver’s spontaneity and free spirit, and before long, she turns into another breed of girl—one who surprisingly bites the hand that feeds her.


“Stray is a winning novel that provides us with an important reminder: it's okay to make mistakes and break the rules, especially when it comes to love.”—Maureen Johnson, author of 13 Little Blue Envelopes

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

No matter what she does, 16-year-old Natalie Kaplan, dog lover and straight arrow, can't seem to win the approval of her veterinarian mother, who surrounds her with limits as if she were training a puppy. Ironically, though, her mother doesn't foresee the disastrous possibilities of bringing an attractive young man into their home. Free-spirited Carver, son of Dr. Kaplan's best friend, has graduated from high school early and is going to intern in the family dog hospital. Hot enough to attract the interest of the popular girl next door, he is more interested in Natalie. Little by little, with the help of Carver and her friends, Natalie steps out from under her mother's restrictions, doing some normal teenage experimenting and realizing that she can set her own boundaries. Full of dog-training metaphors, each chapter begins with a quotation from the book written by Natalie's runaway father, a dog guru. This fresh treatment of a familiar teen feeling will attract readers who love dogs as well as a good first-love story. Kathleen Isaacs
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

About the Author

When Stacey Goldblatt was in high school, she spent every Saturday at a family friend’s veterinarian clinic. Currently, she boards in San Diego with her husband, two children, and two cats. You can visit her at www.staceygoldblatt.com.

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 12 and up
  
• Mass Market Paperback: 288 pages
• Publisher: Laurel Leaf; Reprint edition (July 14, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0385734441
• ISBN-13: 978-0385734448
• Product Dimensions: 4.4 x 0.8 x 6.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,514,723 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Courtesy of Teens Read Too, May 11, 2007

By 

TeensReadToo "Eat. Drink. Read. Be Merrier." (All Over the US & Canada) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Stray (Hardcover)

Sixteen-year-old Natalie Kaplan is better around dogs than people. She can name practically every breed of dog there is, yet can't fit in at a party. Natalie lives with her control-freak mother, her cake-baking grandmother, and four dogs (including Fufu, her cement chinese Foo dog that is supposed to bring her luck).

For Natalie, the summer before her junior year of high school wasn't supposed to be different from any other summer. Natalie planned to hang out with her friends (Nina and Kirby), help out at her mother's vet clinic, and basically continue to be the obedient daughter she has always been. However, at the beginning of summer, a wave of wildness overcomes Natalie - starting with streaking her hair blue and continuing to lying to her mother. When boy-hottie Carter Reed, son of Natalie's mother's friend, comes to stay with them for the summer, Natalie just can't help being attracted to him despite her mother's request to "keep it professional."

In one summer, Natalie is about to break the leash from her controlling mother and stray just enough to find herself.

STRAY is a funny and warm novel about one dog-loving girl's summer transformation. This is one of my favorite books of the year and I would definitely recommend it!

Reviewed by: Safia Abdul

3.0 out of 5 stars Angieville: STRAY, November 6, 2008

By 

Angela Thompson "Angiegirl" (Rocky Mountains) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Stray (Hardcover)

This was a sweet book. Sweet and calm and surprisingly welcome. I particularly liked that all of the characters, from Nattie's bitterly overprotective mother to her snotty and popular next door neighbor, are portrayed sympathetically. Reminding us that everyone is more than they appear, no matter how unsympathetic they can be at times. The fact is sometimes you find yourself in a bathroom with your arch nemesis, holding her hair back for her as she vomits her guts out. Goldblatt's writing feels well-grounded to me, her characters glitz-free and appealing.