Junkyard Dogs

By: Katherine Higgs-Coulthard

Narrated by: Robbie Daymond

A suspenseful and gut-wrenching story of an unhoused teenager struggling to survive a criminal scrapping ring while unraveling a dark family history

Josh's father has gone missing without a trace, and Gran's ready to call social services. If Josh wants to keep himself and and his little brother, Twig, out of the system, he'll have to take to the streets and track down his dad. But when Josh digs too deep, his dad's old accomplices catch up to Josh and plunge him into a dangerous underground where putting his trust in the wrong person could number Josh in a growing pile of bodies.

This chilling portrayal of a teen desperate for food, shelter, and safety barrels the listener through an emotionally-charged journey as Josh discovers that blood doesn't always make family—and some bonds can be broken forever.

This audiobook includes a downloadable PDF of resources from the book.

YA Novel That Grips Hard and Never Lets Go

Excellent YA story--complex characters, gritty setting, realistic dialogue, descriptions that pull you into each scene, lots at stake to keep the tension high. This would be a great book for high school students to read in class to gain a deeper understanding of homelessness among youth and food insecurity. A PDF that comes with this book includes resources related to homelessness. The narrator is outstanding. He brings each character fully to life by shifting his voice seamlessly to capture their unique personalities. I can envision this book as a compelling, riveting movie. I look forward to more books by Katherine Higgs-Coulthard.

Touching and impactful.

This is such a great story grounded in some sad realities about growing up in poverty in middle America was a bit of a murder mystery along the way. The characters are incredibly likable and the reader brought it to life.