ISBN: 1553521927

The following Review was Contributed by: Emily Burson  Click Here To Read More Of Emily's Reviews

   “Star” is an unlikely book about an unlikely hero—a half Lab, half Rottweiler dog. It does not take long to forget that Star is a puppy and instead find her to be a capable, smart, and loveable heroine in the middle of a dark and dreary story.

Born into a dark breeding pen, Star is implanted with diamonds that the man of the house has recently acquired. There is no love lost between the dogs and their caretakers. Instead, author Tom Peters creates a tragic world where puppies are born, older dogs die, and none are really cared for at all. What the reader immediately wants more than anything else is for Star to escape that dreary world and find some place happy to roam.

And, that happens…for awhile. Star, after all, is a puppy. Puppies take time and patience and a certain amount of love to really train correctly. When her dog instincts overtake her gentle heart, Star finds herself abandoned and left to fend for herself as the world around her gets scarier and scarier. Once the dog breeders realize she has disappeared along with their fortune, they do everything they can to chase her down and find her.

“Star,” despite being about a dog, is not a story for children. Star’s world is a dark, sinister, and scary place full of evil people, evil dogs, and evil intentions. In spite of her breeding, Star becomes a good dog. Full of hope and understanding the unique bond between a pet and a master, Star wants nothing more than to find the one young girl that seemed to love her the most. Through everything, she senses that there is someone out there who loves her, who wants to keep her warm and safe.

It is only when Star stops a horrible crime from occurring that people begin to see her in a new light. Freed from the burden of carrying a menacing package under her skin, Star thrives.

It is not surprising how fast you fall in love with Star as you are reading this book. Despite being a dog, she is a fully developed character that the reader wants to see find success. You want this little puppy to find a nice home, a warm bed, and all the food she could possibly eat. When Star’s dog instincts kick in to save a young child, you rejoice.

Author Tom Peters is a graduate of Duquesne University and the University of Michigan Law School. “Star” is his first book.