Star in the Storm (book review)

Star in the Storm, by Joan Hiatt Harlow, takes place in the small Newfoundland village of Bonnie Bay. Twelve-year-old Maggie, her younger cousin Vera, and their Newfoundland dog Sirius have become targets of the wrath by Howard Rand, the richest man in the village, and his daughter Tamar. Tamar has never liked Sirius, and when one of her sheep is killed by a dog, she blames it on him. Maggie knows that Sirius would never do such a thing, but there is no way that she can convince Tamar of that. Soon, Howard Rand passes a law that forbids all dogs except sheepherding ones.

Maggie will never give up Sirius, so she hides him away in a secret cave which only she and Vera know about. But on the night of a dangerous storm, a steamer carrying more than 100 people crashes into the rocks near Bonnie Bay. No one will dare risk heading out into the wild waters to save the people. Maggie knows that Sirius can swim as well as a fish, but if she brings him out of hiding, she will be risking his life. Can Sirius find a way to save the passengers' lives...and his own?

I thought this book was very good for a first novel. It had a heroic dog, a witch of a girl, and lots of wild adventures! It took place in a unique location, and the author mixed in the legends and daily life of Newfoundlanders among the rest of the book.

I give this book 4 out of 5 stars.

I am using this book for the weather-event title in my What's In A Name Challenge.