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    Haru, Zombie Dog Hero
    Haru, Zombie Dog Hero
    Haru, Zombie Dog Hero
    Ebook140 pages1 hour

    Haru, Zombie Dog Hero

    By Ellen Oh

    3.5/5

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    About this ebook

    "Tender character relationships between both pup and human, and the myriad fully realized animals Haru meets along his journey, combine for a multilayered and thoroughly heartfelt must-read."—Publishers Weekly (starred review)

    "Oh covers heavy, relevant topics in this tense middle-grade novel, informing young readers about animal cruelty, environmental pollution caused by biotechnology facilities, and racial microaggressions within social-economic classes." —Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books

    Ellen Oh of Spirit Hunters delivers this spooky middle grade novel about the friendship between a Korean American boy and his dog, Haru—who becomes a zombie! Fans of Frankenweenie will enjoy this scary yet heartwarming read.

    Even though the world is changing and zombie attacks are on the rise, the bond between this boy and his dog remains strong, and when their town is threatened, Haru must rescue them all. Winner of the Asian/Pacific American Award Honor for Children’s Literature, Ellen Oh delivers another standout story.

    Eleven-year-old Luke and his dog, Haru, are the best of friends. Totally inseparable. But when their nasty landlord falsely accuses Haru of biting her, Haru is kidnapped!

    As Luke and his friends go on a serious mission to find and bring Haru home again, they discover mysterious experiments happening at the old laboratory at Painted Lake, owned by an evil multibillionaire named Mr. Thomas Sinclair. And Luke and his friends soon fear that Sinclair’s scientists could be doing illegal testing that may endanger Haru and their whole town.

    As more strange clues emerge, the boys realize their world is changing fast, and soon Painted Lake is plagued by zombie attacks. But the love between Luke and Haru endures, ultimately helping to save them all.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherHarperCollins
    Release dateJul 11, 2023
    ISBN9780063272316
    Author

    Ellen Oh

    Ellen Oh is the cofounder of We Need Diverse Books and author of the award-winning Spirit Hunters series for middle grade readers and the Prophecy trilogy (Prophecy, Warrior, and King) for young adults. Originally from New York City, Ellen is a former adjunct college instructor and lawyer with an insatiable curiosity for ancient Asian history. Ellen lives in Bethesda, Maryland, with her husband and three children and has yet to satisfy her quest for a decent bagel. You can visit her online at ellenoh.com.

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      Book preview

      Haru, Zombie Dog Hero - Ellen Oh

      Chapter 1

      Painted Lake, Virginia

      THE HEAT OF the blazing summer sun was lessened under the cooling shade of the copious tree canopy above the trio of boys marching into the woods. A large black-and-brown dog bounded ahead, barking in excitement, sending several chittering squirrels scurrying up tree trunks.

      Haru Haru, come back! his human Luke shouted from behind the two other boys.

      Haru raced back to rub his body against Luke’s before running around him again.

      Look! It’s still standing! a blond-haired boy named Max crowed with delight, pointing at the fort they’d made the previous day. The tentlike structure was backed against the base of a large oak tree with several rafters supporting the main ridge.

      I’ll start securing the frame, Max said. Dropping his bag, he pulled out a ball of twine and began to cut it into long strands.

      His older brother, Ben, set a big blue bundle next to the fort and began to help Max tie the rafters to the main ridge on the top of the fort.

      Awesome! We can finish it today, said Ben. Luke, we’ll need more sticks before we cover it with the tarp.

      Luke nodded and whistled loudly.

      Haru Haru! Fetch big stick! Luke shouted.

      The dog raced off ahead and began nosing the mossy side of a large tree before grabbing a long, thick stick and dragging it over to his human. Luke ruffled his dog’s head and sent him back for more. He used a penknife to carve a notch at the end of the stick, which he then passed to Ben. Haru brought back many more sticks that Luke notched while Max and Ben tied them to the main ridge at the top of the fort. When the boys were satisfied with the sturdiness of their structure, they covered the entire frame with the blue tarp Ben had brought and cut off the excess with Luke’s penknife.

      Sweet! Max exclaimed as he high-fived Ben and Luke. We could camp out here in a rainstorm and be fine.

      No, we couldn’t, Ben replied. The ground would be soaking wet.

      Luke grabbed the excess tarp and pushed it inside the fort. Here, lift up the sides and I’ll slide it through.

      Brilliant! Max enthused. The brothers carefully lifted one side and then the other as Luke slid most of the remaining tarp underneath. Haru sat on the grass and yawned.

      Now we can stay through a thunderstorm! Max crowed.

      Well, you two can, Luke said with a smirk. I’d rather be at home in bad weather.

      Max shoved Luke on the shoulder. Wuss.

      Nah, just smart, Luke retorted.

      What’s the matter, scared of a little water? Ben teased. The brothers fist-bumped each other as they laughed.

      Sheesh, I guess you guys aren’t hungry and don’t want any of these awesome sandwiches and snacks I brought, Luke replied with a smirk, opening up his backpack and peering into it. All for us, right, Haru?

      Haru cocked his head and barked in agreement.

      Max shoved his brother away and immediately slung an arm around Luke’s shoulders. Whatcha bring, best friend?

      Ben blew a raspberry. Mom said Max would trade us all away for a ham sandwich if he was hungry.

      That’s not true, Max responded. I don’t even like ham. But bacon . . .

      On the last piece of tarp, Luke pulled out wrapped sandwiches, chips, cookies, candy, and juice pouches. The boys all sat around the food, Haru pressed tight against Luke’s side.

      Turkey and bacon for Max, roast beef and provolone for Ben, ham and cheese for me, and boiled chicken and mozzarella for Haru, Luke said as he divvied up the food. Haru rested his head on Luke’s knee.

      Yes! Your parents make the best sandwiches in town, Max said as he took an enormous bite. Oh man, so much better than the PB&J sandwiches my mom packed for us yesterday.

      I like your mom’s sandwiches, Luke replied. She uses awesome bread and fancy jam and cuts off all the crusts. They’re great.

      Yeah, if you’re five! Max complained. But I’m a man now! I need man food!

      You’re eleven, Max.

      Almost twelve!

      Ben rolled his eyes. Thanks for all the food, Luke, Ben said. And thank your parents for us too.

      Luke smiled as he watched his friends. He’d met Max in kindergarten, but he’d been friends with both brothers ever since their first time playing together. The Cole brothers looked a lot alike, but they were very different. Redheaded Ben was quiet and reserved, while Max was loud, obnoxious, and could never sit still. Since Luke fell somewhere in the middle of their personality types, they all got along really well.

      As usual, Max had wolfed down his food while Ben waited politely for Luke to start eating. This was why his parents preferred Ben over Max. Whenever they came to the store, it was always Ben who politely thanked them while Max raced around, touching everything. Maybe it came with being an older brother.

      Max had finished his sandwich and chips and was now looking over to where Haru was delicately eating his sandwich from Luke’s hand.

      Haru’s looks pretty good also, Max remarked. Let me have a bite. He reached over as if to take the dog’s sandwich, causing Haru to make a cute whiny growl. Turning his back on Max and effectively blocking him, Haru continued to eat his food.

      The boys all laughed. It was funny how such a big dog like Haru was so gentle, nibbling carefully around Luke’s fingers.

      You can have a Haru sandwich next time, Luke said. Plain boiled chicken and mozzarella on white bread. I’m sure you’ll love it!

      Max made a face, reached for a juice pouch, and squished it. Hey, it’s still ice cold, he said in surprise. Yesterday our drinks were all warm by the time we drank ’em.

      Well, I froze a whole lot and lined the bottom of my bag with them. Luke turned his backpack upside down on the tarp and a pile of juice pouches tumbled out. Figured we’d get real thirsty.

      Max pressed his drink to his face. Nice. You must be a genius!

      Grinning, Luke took out a water bottle from the side of his bag and poured ice-cold water in a bowl for Haru before unwrapping his own sandwich.

      I can’t believe it’s already August, Luke said around a mouthful of food. School starts in a few weeks.

      ARGH! I’m not listening! Max slapped his hands over his ears.

      Ben shrugged. I’m looking forward to being an eighth grader, he replied.

      Max gave his brother a dirty look. Only you would say something like that, he groused.

      Don’t worry, at least seventh grade is better than sixth, Ben said.

      School sucks no matter what grade it is, Max retorted. Right, Luke?

      Luke nodded, but truthfully, he didn’t mind going to school. He enjoyed his science classes and liked most of his teachers. The only part of school he didn’t enjoy was not seeing Haru all day. If Luke had his way, he would take Haru with him everywhere.

      Max was now tearing through his second bag of cookies.

      Hey, save some for us, ya greedy pig! Ben fumed.

      You snooze, you lose—gah! Give that back! Max lunged at his brother, who’d snatched up all the cookies.

      Luke shook his head as the brothers began wrestling over the bags of sweets. There was going to be nothing but crumbs left at this rate.

      Suddenly, Haru rose to his feet and began to growl.

      What’s the matter? Luke asked, stroking Haru’s tense neck. The growling intensified as the dog continued to stare past the wrestling brothers and into the trees behind the fort.

      There was nothing there and yet Haru stood frozen in place, snarling with his hackles raised. Luke was alarmed. What danger was Haru worried about? Luke didn’t see anything. He also couldn’t hear over the racket his friends were making. Luke stood up and peered around the fort, looking for anything suspicious. Just then he heard an odd high-pitched screeching sound. From behind the fort, a large raccoon staggered into view, chittering and hissing. The animal was disoriented and walking in circles, drooling copiously.

      What the heck is that weird noise? Max asked as he gave his brother one final shove. He stood up and turned around.

      The movement caused the raccoon to bare its teeth aggressively. It charged at Max, causing him to scream and fall to the ground. He kicked his feet wildly, but before the animal could reach him, Haru leapt in front of the boy and grabbed the raccoon by the throat. He shook it like a rag doll before hurling the creature several feet away. Shrieking in rage, the raccoon flung itself at Haru, its lips curled back from its sharp teeth. Haru was barking furiously but let out a sharp yelp at the animal’s attack. The raccoon had bitten Haru on the chest and refused to let go.

      Get away from him! Luke shouted. He grabbed a juice pouch and hurled it at the raccoon, hitting it on the head, but it still hung on to Haru. Luke seized a long stick off their tent and smashed the raccoon on its head, knocking it down to the ground. Dazed, it lay there for a moment. The other boys leapt into action and pelted the animal with anything they could get their hands on. Enraged, the animal turned toward the boys, but this time Haru seized it and flung it hard against the trunk of a tree. The raccoon collapsed, its back legs twitching for a long moment before it went still.

      "Haru, are you

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