The Darkest Path by Jeff Hirsch*****

In The Darkest Path, Cal is working at one of the Path's dog kennels. His boss tells him that he saw a stray by the gas station and that Cal should check it out. Cal goes up to the gas station and finds the dog. The dog is small, smaller than any in the kennel, and his name is Bear (he has a tag). Cal's boss comes to kill Bear, just because Bear's too small. Cal steals his boss's gun, and before his boss can bludgeon Bear, Cal shoots. He kills his boss. Cal recommends his brother to run with him, but his brother turns his offer down. It's up to Cal to try to find his home in New York and his parents. The ones he hasn't seen in six years.

That dumb dog. That is the ringer in the whole book. Once the dog was introduced, I couldn't put this book down. I loved the whole aspect of a religious cult taking over the whole west coast through fighting. This book is very interesting overall, and I would recommend this book to middle-schoolers.