Dog Star by Megan Shepherd

"If we can't stop the rocket, maybe we can get Laika out. We can't let her go on a mission with no chance of return. She isn't like the equipment you have in that capsule. 

She's a living creature."

Nina is old to enough to begin to question her life in the Soviet Union. Her best friend, along with her friend's parents, have recently defected to the US. Nina herself is being trained to be a good Soviet citizen. Her father works for the Institute of Space Medicine. The space race is in full swing. The Russians are desperate to be first. The Americans are planning to use monkeys and mice but in Russia a small stray dog is selected and trained. 

Meanwhile we meet a street dog, later to be named Laika. She longs to become a warm dog but when she is captured, she is taken to a strange place and put into a cage. Sharing this space are two other dogs. One has already been sent into space so she explains the three tests that Laika will undergo and how, if she can pass these tests, and travel into space the reward will be a real home with children to love her.

Bookseller blurb: Based on an incredible true story, Carnegie Medal nominee and New York Times-bestselling author Megan Shepherd crafts a harrowing, propulsive girl-and-her-dog tale that will linger in your heart long after the last page. Laika is a Cold Dog, a stray pup fighting for her life on the streets of Moscow. Then, one winter night, she is plucked from her alley to become a Starflyer, a dog trained to travel into space. Distrustful of people, Laika tries to do everything she can to escape. That is, until she meets Nina. Nina is a Cold Girl, lonely and full of questions. Her best friend has moved to America in a rush, leaving Nina to face the school bullies all by herself. Plus, her father's work as a scientist in the Soviet Space Program grows more secretive by the day. When the two meet in her father's laboratory, their growing bond slowly warms the chill that has settled in each other's hearts. As the Space Race between the United States and the Soviet Union grows fierce, Laika and Nina uncover shocking secrets and hard truths that will test their friendship. How will they find the courage to chase their dreams all the way to the stars?

Have you ever thought about the idea of warm dogs and cold dogs. Warm dogs live with a family. They are fed, allowed to be inside and even perhaps sit on a couch and most of all they are loved, especially by children. A cold dog is a street dog. A dog that lives by scavenging and a dog that works hard to survive extremes of heat and cold. And it sure is cold on the streets of Moscow. Laika was a cold dog until the day she was captured for use in the space program.

The title comes from the third voice in we hear in this story - we hear Laika beginning when she is just surviving on the streets of Moscow; we hear Nina who is so upset about the loss of her friend and we read about her struggles to cope with the Young Pioneers; and the third voice is the actual dog star - a voice of encouragement and wisdom that only Laika can hear. 

The ending of this book is inevitably very sad - perhaps if you are recommending this book to a reader in your library you might decide to explain this. Laika was a real dog. She was sent into space from the USSR in 1957. An enormous amount of work went into preparing her for the journey, but it seems almost no plans were made for her return. No one knows when or how but Laika did perish on the voyage.

There is a strange but fascinating inclusion in this book - the book is from a US author but she has included an article dated November 27th, 1957, from our Australian Women's Weekly magazine.

Here are a couple of text quotes:

"Nina felt a rush of confidence now. She sat up straighter. 'Yes dogs. I can help my father with the dogs who will be sent into space! ... Through this, um, I can make the Motherland proud."

"In a few days Laika will travel to the cosmodrome. I wanted to do something nice for her first. One night to have a home away from the Institute. To just be a dog; to bark and play.' He knelt down, scratching Laika behind the ears. 'Can you do that for her, lapochka?"

"So many questions buzzed in her head. Their teachers taught them to respect even street dogs but didn't respect the students enough to tell them the truth. Maybe Ludmilla's family had left because they didn't feel safe in a country where information was so often kept secret. Now, like Ludmilla, would Laika disappear forever too?"

You can hear Megan Shepherd talking about her book here. Dog Star was published in 2023 but I picked up my copy in a bookshop earlier this year. 

The narrative alternates between Nina’s and Laika’s points of view; Laika’s perspective is anthropomorphized with inner monologue as well as dialogue between dogs, and this works to the story’s advantage in arousing sympathy for the small animal who was sacrificed for science. A poignant story that accessibly illuminates a milestone in space exploration history. Kirkus

Read more about animal astronauts here. Companion books:

I previously read Secret Horses of Briar Hill by Megan Shepherd:

The Secret Horses of Briar Hill

A Kite for Moon by Jane Yolen and Heidi Stemple illustrated by Matt Phelan

If you work in a library that is filled with book treasures, how can you showcase them to your borrowers? Little children especially, cannot read book spines or browse huge book collections. There are a few things you can do. Firstly, where possible use front facing display shelves. Secondly set books out on displays and change these regularly. 

I've been working in a school library recently and constantly changing, relevant book displays is one way the teacher-librarian ensures her massive, rich book collections are discovered and circulated. She has a few distinct display spaces. I asked to set out books about the Moon on one of these and as I checked the shelves, I discovered this book. Now I hope a young child might discover it too!

Why did it catch my eye? This goes back to something I talked about at a recent conference - field knowledge. Do you know Jane Yolen? You should. Have you read her books? You should. (Owl Moon is a favourite of mine). What about her daughter Heidi Stemple or the illustrator Matt Phelan? Yes, it is true I live in Australia and these creative book people are in the US but as I have said many times, we are so lucky to speak English and have access to the best books from USA, Canada, New Zealand and the UK.

If you work in a school or a preschool this book A Kite for Moon could be a great one to add to your read aloud pile - and you could then add in some other books about kites; the moon; and astronauts. There is also a theme here about following your dream. All of that in a picture book that probably has less than 100 words.

A young boy notices the moon looks sad. He has been flying his kite, so he grabs a pencil, writes a message on his kite and then sends it up, up, up to the moon. Over the coming days he sends many more kites up to the moon.

"Days went by, years.

Moon waxed and waned.

She counted shooting stars and meteors.

She worried about peace down on earth

and strange objects whizzing by.

She eclipsed."

The moon watched this boy grow up. He went to school and studied algebra, geometry and astronomy.

"Then one day when he had learned enough, he went up, up, up in a big rocket ship ... "

Make sure you check out the dedication "For Neil Armstrong who showed us the way." And read a post by Jane Yolen about the inspiration behind her book. 

If you are reading this post and it is still October 2025 I found one online seller with a copy of A Kite for Moon for a really great price. 

Publisher blurb: What would it be like if the moon was your friend Find out as you walk alongside a little boy who journeys through life to achieve his dream of becoming an astronaut. And then blast off with your little one as you zoom to the moon together! The story begins when a little boy, who is flying his kite, notices a sad Moon. He sends up kites to her, writing notes promising he will come see her someday. This promise propels him through years of studying, learning, and training to become an astronaut. Until … he finally goes up, up, up in a big rocket ship with a fiery tail.

A kite for Moon was the winner of the 2019 Northern Book Awards. The judges said:

From its breathtaking cover to the celestial canvases and poignant prose, this book is a true treasure. The fact that stars are used instead of periods makes it even more memorable.

And here is the judging criteria:

The Northern Lights Book Awards considers children’s books to be an art form and honors books that excel in aesthetic and literary qualities with an emphasis on permanency. We are seeking works that will leave a lasting impression, stories that will resonate with the reader not only now but in years to come. NLBA accepts traditionally published and self-published children’s books from around the world regardless of copyright year. Books must be printed in English.