When twelve-year-old Shayna Miller gets too close to an abandoned mine on a sunny Saturday, the ground crumbles beneath her feet and her whole world changes.
Her best friend a golden retriever, Tuck, dives after her and drags her toward the light, breathing in a strange underground gas that nearly kills him. He survives. But when Tuck comes home from the animal hospital, the Millers start to notice things that cannot be explained.
Tuck predicts a storm to the minute. He warns the family about a gas leak before anyone smells it. He pushes 5-year-old JJ out of the way a split second before a stack of lumber crashes down. Then lightning strikes the old oak tree in the backyard, and Shayna watches fire bend away from Tuck as if he had a force field around him.
Word of the "hero dog" spreads faster than the Millers can keep up with. A viral video, a late night break in at All Paws Animal Hospital, and a strange van parked on their quiet street all point to one terrifying truth. Someone is watching Tuck. Someone wants what is inside him.
When Tuck is abducted and taken to a hidden research compound, Shayna and her family refuse to sit and wait. With the help of their trusted vet, Dr. Reyes, they track him to an off the grid facility where Dr. Victor Haines has been experimenting on animals and sees Tuck as his greatest discovery.
Inside those walls, Tuck is waking up to what he can do. Outside, the Millers are risking everything to bring him home.
Set-in small-town in North Carolina, The Adventures of Tuck is a fast-paced middle grade adventure about an ordinary girl, an extraordinary dog, and the unbreakable bond between them. Packed with heart, family, and high stakes rescue, it is perfect for readers who love loyal animal heroes, brave kids, and the idea that real courage often has four paws.
