Take the branch of a diamond willow tree, carve it down, get to the center, polish it, and there where the scar of a living branch remains you will find the shape of a diamond. A middle schooler named Diamond Willow does not feel as special as her name depicts. She has a hard time making friends at school and feels that her Dad, a teacher, sometimes loves his sled dogs more than her. Willow does love dogs, too, especially Roxy. Willow persuades her friend to go with her to Willow's grandparents' house using three dogs from the team and leaving the other three dogs for her Dad. Of course, there is a problem that needs to be solved which includes dogs and people. Helen Frost makes the story exciting while using an inventive way of telling the story in the shape of a diamond on each page with bold words within the diamond to accentuate the drama. Enjoy this story of dogs and their humans and the intricacies which tell about a middle-schooler's maturity.
Awards nominated: Rebecca Caudill Award 2011
Date read: 5/3/2010
ISBN-10: 0374317763
ISBN-13: 9780374317768
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