David Fickling grabs Street Dog Named Pup from Lewis

David Fickling Books has picked up A Street Dog Named Pup, a “heart-warming” middle-grade book by Gill Lewis.

UK and Commonwealth rights, including audio, were acquired by publishing director Liz Cross from Victoria Birkett at Miles Stott Literary Agency. It will be published in hardback in April 2021, with a cover illustration by Levi Pinfold and inside illustrations by the author.

The synopsis explains: “A Street Dog Named Pup tells the story of the young, wide-eyed, instantly loveable Pup. He and his boy are inseparable, but both their worlds change forever when Pup is cruelly taken away and abandoned in Dead Dog Alley. With nowhere else to turn, Pup must join a crew of misfit Street Dogs, who help him learn to fight for survival. Through it all, Pup holds on to the hope of one day being reunited with his boy. But his hope shrinks with every passing day. It seems their bond is broken forever… doesn’t it?”

Lewis said: “As a dog owner and vet, I’ve seen the incredible bond we have with our canine friends. I wanted to write a story to celebrate that bond and test the strength of it to the limits. Drawing my characters and the world they inhabit has always been central to my writing process, and so it has been wonderful working with Liz Cross again, not only writing the words, but also illustrating Pup’s world as I’ve run with him and the street dogs through the urban landscape.”

Cross commented: “I’m thrilled to be working with Gill Lewis again — especially on such an epic, heart-bursting story, a book to read and remember for ever. It’s also incredibly exciting to be bringing Gill’s own gorgeous artwork to readers for the first time. Anyone who lays eyes on her beautiful dog portraits will be lost at once!”