A captivating easy novel, based on a true story, is set during the silent film era. In search of the next big star, director Larry Trimble has an idea: A dog. He isn’t interested in an animal that can just do tricks; he wants a heroic star. But finding one proves a challenge. Enter Etzel. Trained as a vicious police dog in Germany, Etzel is clearly smart, but Larry has his work cut out after purchasing him. While screenwriter Jane Murfin works on scripts, Etzel, now renamed Strongheart, gradually learns to trust. But when it comes to acting, he proves to be a natural, with a lot of big screen charisma. With the release of his first movie, Strongheart is an overnight sensation. In the 1920s, he was the It Dog. He had public appearances, magazine spreads, product endorsements, and even his own Hollywood scandal. He is also responsible for making German shepherds the most popular dog breed in the United States. Sadly, only one of his films survives, but Fleming has done meticulous research to piece together his amazing story. Rohmann’s detailed black-and-white line drawings throughout are wonderfully cinematic, giving a sense of the black-and-white silent era and Strongheart’s charisma. (Ages 7–11)

For fans of Balto and other real-life dog stories, here's a heavily illustrated middle-grade novel about a canine movie star of the 1920s, dramatically told in both words and pictures by an acclaimed author and a Caldecott Medal-winning illustrator.

When movie director Larry Trimble travels to Berlin searching for his next big star--a dog!--he finds Etzel, a fierce, highly trained three-year-old German shepherd police dog. Larry sees past the snarls and growls and brings Etzel back to Hollywood, where he is renamed Strongheart. Along with screenwriter Jane Murfin, Larry grooms his protégé to be a star of the silver screen--and he succeeds, starting with Strongheart's first film, The Love Master, which is released in 1921. Strongheart is soon joined by a leading lady, a German shepherd named Lady Julie, and becomes a sensation.

Touching, charming, playful, and based on real events, this moving tale by Candace Fleming and illustrated by Eric Rohmann tells all about "the wonder dog" who took America by storm.

A NEW YORK PUBLIC LIBRARY BEST BOOK OF 2018
A CHICAGO PUBLIC LIBRARY BEST BOOK OF 2018