Stories with strong social messages

In her selection this week, Patricia McCracken reviews both fiction and non-fiction titles, placing the spotlight on crime, online red flags for teenagers, and some delightful dog-walking tales, too.

- Patricia McCracken

Three Wild Dogs and the Truth: A Memoir by Markus Zusak (Pan, R395)

We're not talking here about wild dogs, also known as painted wolves, in game reserves.

Although, if Zusak had been aware of them, he'd probably have enjoyed playing with the image for his earliest hero dog, Reuben, who looked like a brindle wolf.

Reuben, Archer, and Frosty were rescue dogs, all with very different characters, remembered for some extraordinary escapades.

Although so many of us share our lives with domestic dogs, there are few memoirs about it.

An earlier standout was 1984's The Common Years, by Jilly Cooper, a fun account of her decade walking dogs on Putney Commons in London, UK.

Zusak, on his dog runs at Centennial Park in Sydney, Australia, generally avoids more than just greeting dog walkers.

His wild ride with dogs behaving badly is honest, memorable, and laugh-out-loud funny.

How Not to Mess Up Online: A Teenager’s Guide by Emma Sadleir & Rorke Wilson (Penguin, R280)