When eleven-year-old Wesley loses her father in a car accident, she and her mother must move in with her Aunt Cindy, an Australian shepherd breeder in Prince Edward County, Ontario. Life on a working farm is new to Wesley and she is lonely, confused and angry at life's injustices as she struggles to fit in to this new world. After watching the birth of a litter of puppies with her cousin Cassel, Wesley pleads with her aunt to save the life of a runt puppy that would otherwise be left to die. The puppy, an undersized red merle named Piper, proves to be a challenge from the start, with a natural talent for trouble as well as herding sheep. When Piper attacks a sheep during a herding competition, Wesley must fight once again to prove the dog's worth, and ultimately, her own. Through hard work and long hours, the dog and girl become inseparable, and even stand a chance at the championship title. But on the eve of the big event, Piper and Wesley are set upon by marauding coydogs--coyotes crossed with wild dogs--and it is Piper who is called upon to save Wesley. Will the dog save the girl who gave her a second chance? Will they still have a chance at the big title?

Natale Ghent is an award-winning journalist and the author of No Small Thing, also published in the US and the UK, and The Book Of Living And Dying, a novel for young adult readers. No Small Thing has been critically acclaimed in Canada and internationally. Nominated for four Canadian children’s choice awards, including the CLA Book of the Year for Children award and the Silver Birch award (Honour Book), No Small Thing was also chosen as a Junior Library Guild selection in the US and a Borders Original Voice. Born in Brookfield, Illinois, Natale Ghent moved to Canada as a small child. She lives with her family in Toronto.

Natale Ghent's profile page

• Short-listed, PSLA Top Forty
• Short-listed, Dog Writers Association of America Writing Competition nominee
• Commended, Resource Links "The Year's Best"
• Commended, CCBC Our Choice