Book Review: Runt by Craig Silvey

I'm sure that you have an author (or authors) that you consider to be a favourite; one that when they release a new novel, it becomes automatically added to your list of books to read. 

For me, Craig Silvey is one of those authors. The first book of Craig's that I read was Jasper Jones, and when he released Honeybee (which was Dymocks Book Of The Year in 2020), it became one of my favourite novels ever. So I was very excited to be given the opportunity to receive a copy of his newest story, Runt. 

And what can I say? This is such a sweet, feel-good  story and I adored it!

The main character is 11 year-old Annie Shearer, who  lives with her parents, Bryan and Susie, her 13 year-old brother Max, and her grandmother Dolly in the country town of Upson Downs. Annie doesn't have any friends except for her dog Runt. Nobody knows where Runt came from as he was a stray and would often be seen around town, until Annie took him in and adopted him. The two are inseparable and share a very special bond.

Runt's years of scavenging for food and roaming the town whilst trying to evade capture from the local copper and ranger, Constable Duncan Bayleaf, have made him exceptionally agile and fast; ideal for herding runaway sheep.

But when the owner of the neighbouring farm, Earl Robert-Barren puts the Shearer's family home at risk, Annie is determined to fix the situation. She decides to enter Runt into the Agility Course Grand Championship at the Krumpets Dog Show in London in the hopes of taking out first position and the grand prize. 

But Annie knows that Runt will only follow her commands if nobody else is around to spectate, so how can they beat the odds and the fastest dogs in order to save the family farm?

Runt is such a beautifully written story and although it is targeted as a children's book, it definitely can be enjoyed by older readers like myself. It has a great cast of characters, a really feel-good story, and an important message of being true to yourself and bringing out the best in others. I would highly recommend Runt to readers of all ages, and I would love to see Runt made into a movie down the track! 

Runt is available now through Allen & Unwin Australia.