"The Dog of Knots" is a middle reader novel set in Israel in 1973, during the time of the Yom Kippur War. It is the story of Mayim, a nine year-old girl who struggles to find her voice amidst the terrors of war, and to reconcile her upcoming and inevitable role as a soldier in the Israeli army. Mayim, whose father was killed in the Six Day War, seeks courage from her mother, her great-aunt, the woman across the street, and the ancient stray dog. But she finds, instead, it is they who need courage from her.

Mr. Cohen, a new boarder at Mrs. Singer's house, tells Mayim that Knotty reminds him of a dog that he had given to his friend, Yonah, a long time ago, in an attempt to cheer him up after his family was killed. The puppy meant everything to Yonah; they went everywhere together. When the War of Independence broke out, the dog followed him into battle and he shielded the dog from gunfire with his body. Yonah was killed and the dog stayed with his unit, but when their position was overrun he disappeared. They all thought he had been killed. Chaim and Mr. Cohen wonder if Knotty could be this dog, but it doesn't seem possible that a dog could live that long.