about the book
After World War II, the Russians hate everything that has to do with Germany or German culture. That includes German shepherd dogs—owning one is considered traitorous, and armed dog hunters roam the country and eliminate all the German shepherds they find.
Thirteen-year-old Mikhail stumbles upon the dying owner of Zasha, last German shepherd in Russia. In his last minutes, the man entrusts Zasha to Mikhail, to keep her secret and safe.
However, there are people in Mikhail’s life who are decidedly anti-German shepherd, including Katia, who has always been his rival. She is certain Mikhail is hiding something, and is determined to find out what that is. If she does find Zasha, she is sure to turn the dog in, no matter what.
Meanwhile there is another person after Zasha. Dimitri, a dog breeder and former soldier, is trying to restore the dog breeds that Russia lost during the war and after (not every German shepherd exterminated was actually German). Suddenly, Mikhail feels like a wanted man, but all he wants is to give Zasha a nice safe home.
about the author
Randi Barrow grew up in the Midwest, but when she was fifteen her family moved to Santa Monica, California. After graduating from UCLA and Loyola Law School, she practiced as an adoption attorney for twenty years.
In 2002, she wrote a nonfiction book exploring adoption issues. That led to adult fiction novels, based on issues she encountered in her practice. During this time, she also became fascinated with World War II and the Russian aspects of the war. She also wanted to write for a younger audience, so a chance encounter with a Russian man who dealt with how dogs with German blood lines were treated after the war got her thinking about a possible book.
About this time dogs came into her life and changed it forever for the better. Her book Saving Zasha is heavily inspired by her love for and friendship with her canine companion, Manuel the Chihuahua.
Randi closed her law practice in 2006 and now spends her time writing and studying history. She considers herself an “amateur historian!” She lives in Los Angeles with Arthur Barrow, her husband, who is a musician and a composer, and of course, the highly intelligent and book loving Manuel.
Sources:
Author website
Author interview : Fourth Musketeer
Also by Randi Barrow:
Finding Zasha. Scholastic. 2013.
read more!
Eyes of the Emperor by Graham Salisbury
After the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor, the U.S. imprisoned both Japanese prisoners of war and Japanese-Americans in the same camps, as if there were no distinction. Even though Eddy enlisted in the U.S. Army, he is treated just as poorly. When the army needs “bait” in a project for training dogs to hunt Japanese by their smell, Eddy is one of those the dogs will hunt, for practice.
Finding Zasha by Randi Barrow
Ivan, a Russian, escapes the Nazi siege of Leningrad but is captured when Hitler’s troops occupy the town where he is hiding. As a spy for the partisans, he is forced by the cruel Commander Recht to train two dogs, Zasha and Thor, to hunt down escaping Russians. When Ivan is able to escape, he takes the two puppies with him. He didn’t count on Recht’s determination to recapture the dogs!
Soldier Dog by Sam Angus
It is 1914, and the world is on the brink of its first World War. Stanley watches as his brother departs for combat, leaving him with just an angry father. All Stanley has are his greyhound puppies, but one day Stanley wakes up to find both his father and the dogs gone. With nowhere else to go, Stanley lies his way into the army, and is given the task of training a greyhound named Bones in the army’s War Dog School.