about the book
This is my story. I am a dog, a golden retriever, and my name is Ginger. That isn’t always my name. It changes. It started out as “Puppy Number One of Six, Batch Three, Cage Nine.” That is way too long. I like Ginger better.
The first thing I remember is my mom. She is warm and furry and has sweet milk. I am the first born, a girl. I have two sisters and three brothers and we live in a small cage barely large enough for mom to turn around in. The cage is in a big old drafty barn and there are all sorts of other cages there filled with other dogs. The two-legger comes in once a day to put food and water in mom’s bowls. He is mean.
Even though the rusty cage bites into our paws and mom is always tired, we pups have fun playing bite the ear or catch the tail. Then one day I am grabbed and taken to a new place, a pet store. I miss my mom and litter mates, but the people there are only concerned about sales.
Then these two two-leggers come in and I am bought as a Christmas present for their two-year-old son. This littlest tyke is hurtful, too. When he hits my tail with a hammer, I give his fingers the tiniest nip to tell him not to do that again. Before I know what is happening, I am hauled off to another place, a shelter. Boy, is it bad here!
What will happen to me? Will I ever find a furever home?
(Be sure to check out the additional information in the back of the book about the golden retriever breed, puppy mills, pet stores, animal shelters, and tips on choosing a pet.)
about the author
Kate Klimo has 40 years of experience in the publishing business, 25 of which have been working with children’s books. She was a vice- president and publisher at Random House. Now she writes full time. Some of her books can be found under her married name, K.K. Ross.
Her love of books started when she was just a youngster, growing up amidst the cornfields and snow of Iowa. Her father often buried his ice fishing catches in the snow, and Kate thought all winter long the fish escaped the river and settled in her snow drifts. Even that young, she had a vivid imagination. The family later moved to the little town of Sea Cliff, New York, where she discovered the library and fantasy books.
In fourth grade, after falling in love with the Narnia tales, Kate and her best friend decided to create their own story book realm. For months, they wrote about and designed costumes for their new world. To come up with characters, they interviewed the more eccentric members of their community. Unfortunately, adolescence, miniskirts, and crushes on the Fab Four moved their attention away from their fantasy book.
After attending Sarah Lawrence, Kate moved to New York City. She met her husband on a subway, moved into the building made famous by the TV show “Friends,” had three children, and started writing fiction. The inspiration for the dragon series came from a geode she found rolled up in her son’s sock drawer.
With her children grown, Kate lives with her husband Harry, three horses, and a grandcat in New Paltz, in upstate New York.
Sources:
Author biography: Penguin Random House
Author biography: Hachette Book Group
Book trailer: Ginger
Also by Kate Klimo:
Stubby (Dog Diaries, Book 7). Random House Books for Young Readers. July 2015.
Sweetie (Dog Diaries, Book 6). Random House Books for Young Readers. 2015.
Dash (Dog Diaries, Book 5). Random House Books for Young Readers. 2014.
Togo (Dog Diaries, Book 4). Random House Books for Young Readers. 2014.
Barry (Dog Diaries, Book 3). Random House Books for Young Readers. 2013.
Buddy (Dog Diaries, Book 2). Random House Books for Young Readers. 2013.
The Dragon in the Volcano (Dragon Keepers, Book 4). Random House Books for Young Readers. 2011.
The Dragon in the Library (Dragon Keepers, Book 3). Random House Books for Young Readers. 2010.
The Dragon in the Driveway (Dragon Keepers, Book 2). Random House Books for Young Readers. 2009.
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