Missing Mike

When Cara and her family are evacuated from their town because of a raging wildfire, her dog Mike gets left behind. Cara will do anything to find Mike–even if it means going back to the fire zone alone.

A timely middle-grade story about the devastation of wildfires and the resilience of the human spirit.

Missing Mike (Pajama Press, 2018) is a middle-grade novel in verse, available now in hardcover, paperback, e-book, and kobo audio. (Click cover image for hi-res version.)

*Also available in French as Où es-tu? (translated by Andrée Poulin, published by la courte échelle, 2020)

Awards and Honours:

2019 NCTE Notable Verse Novels selection
2019 USBBY Outstanding International Books selection
2018 OLA Best Bets selection
2018 Resource Links “The Year’s Best” selection
2018 Fall Best Books for Kids & Teens starred selection
2018 OLA Forest of Reading Kid Committee Summer Reading List selection

State/Provincial Reading Lists and Readers’ Choice Award nominations:

2022 Chocolate Lily Award (BC) – winner
2022 Lectio Book Award (Texas)
2021 Kentucky Bluegrass Award
2021 Iowa Teen Award
2020-2021 SYRCA Diamond Willow Award
2020 Rocky Mountain Book Award
2020 Manitoba Young Readers’ Choice Award (Sundogs)
2020 Hackmatack Children’s Choice Book Award
2020 Dorothy Canfield Fisher Book Award
2019-2020 Surrey Schools Book of the Year nominee
2019 Forest of Reading Silver Birch Fiction Award – honour book

Reviews:

“Tense, heartwarming, and masterful.”—Kirkus

“Cara is an appealing, believable narrator … Her mix of fears, insecurities, optimism, and penchant for crossword puzzles will resonate … Cara provides a dramatic and youthful eyewitness perspective on wildfires, evacuation operations, the kindness and generosity of strangers, and the traumatic uncertainty of loss. A timely addition to middle grade collections.”—School Library Journal

“Green’s free verse novel fairly brims with gripping descriptions of both the fire and Cara’s taut emotional state, allowing readers a front-row seat to the devastation and fear that the fire generates….A fast-paced, compelling, and timely read.”—Booklist

“Missing Mike is a life-affirming, soul-soaring journey of love, loss, family, hope and the true definition of home. A standout book in the collection of any middle-grade reader…”—Canadian Children’s Book News

“[Green’s] ability to convey complex emotions is on point: uncertainty, regret, nostalgia, loyalty, love, and friendship are palpable. Missing Mike is a novel that subtly shifts from being about a missing dog to become an exploration of the emotional journey of losing home and finding it once again.”—Quill & Quire

“The emotional intensity of the story never falters. It is full of the longing, loss, and desperation of losing everything. Through that sadness and desolation, the book teaches an amazing lesson about hope, kindness, and the importance of family.”—Foreword Reviews

“The verse novel format lends itself well to the frantic and emotional nature of a natural disaster and Shari Green’s writing is carefully crafted. … Cara’s search for her dog and for a feeling of home will resonate with readers of all ages, and this book would make an excellent addition to a classroom or school library.”—Resource Links

“Green’s choosing to tell this story via free verse was the correct stylistic decision. Her descriptions, particularly those dealing with the evacuation, are absolutely gripping. There’s much to like in Missing Mike… Highly Recommended.”—CM Magazine

“Cara’s love for Mike is so deep that her anguish at being separated from him is palpable…But more than the story about a missing dog, Missing Mike is about home… Shari Green, who has impressed all readers with her exceptional novels in verse…does not disappoint with this latest middle grade novel in free verse.”—CanLit For Little Canadians

“Showcasing author Shari Green’s genuine flair for originality and narrative driven storytelling, “Missing Mike” will prove to be of extraordinary interest for children ages 9 to 12, making it an especially and unreservedly recommended addition to elementary school and community library Contemporary General Fiction collections for young readers.”—Midwest Book Review