From the #1 New York Times best-selling author of Max comes a heartwarming, middle grade adventure story about a rescue dog, Chestnut, who befriends a girl trying to save her family's Christmas tree farm in North Carolina. Chestnut is a dog without a family. After being abandoned in the wild, Chestnut is wandering the North Carolina countryside trying to survive. When twelve-year-old Meg stumbles upon him on the outskirts of her family’s Christmas tree farm, she just knows that they’re meant to be together forever. The only problem? The farm is on the brink of closing down, and her family can’t afford a pet. Meg knows she has what it takes to save the business and take care of Chestnut—she’ll just need to keep him a secret until then. Will Meg and Chestnut get their Christmas miracle? "Meg is a complex character....Shotz’s canine confection has rapid pacing and short chapters fueled by high drama and emotional tension."— Kirkus Jennifer Li Shotz is the author of the #1 New York Times bestseller Max: Best Friend. Hero. Marine. , about the coolest war dog ever. She is also the author of the Hero and Scout series. Among other things, Jen has written about sugar addiction, stinky shoes, and sports-related concussions. A Los Angeles native, she graduated from Vassar and has an MFA in nonfiction from Columbia. A senior editor for Scholastic Action Magazine, she lives with her family and Puerto Rican rescue dog, Vida, in Brooklyn. Twitter: @jenshotz Chapter 1 'megan Lucille!' Meg's mom called from downstairs. Her tone told Meg that she had slept in long enough, even if it was her birthday. She could smell coffee and bacon and hot butter bubbling in the skillet. She heard the distant bustle in the kitchen as her sister and brother fought over the pancakes as soon as Dad flipped them onto the platter. Meg knew if she didn't get down there soon, they'd take all the perfectly golden ones. Sighing, she untangled herself from the warm flannel sheets, the heavy quilt, and the fuzzy blanket that wrapped her like a burrito.       She shivered as her feet hit the floor. She quickly found her fluffy robe and pulled on a pair of thick socks. Moving closer to the window, she saw that a crust of snow'maybe an inch or two'had fallen overnight. It sparkled like glitter in the morning light.       Grinning, Meg rushed into the bathroom to brush her teeth and hair. Ever since she was a little girl, she'd been convinced that snow on her birthday was good luck. Now that she was twelve, she was old enough to know it was a silly superstition, but even so . . . it couldn't hurt. Could it? Anticipation bubbled in her chest.       Meg caught sight of her frizzy brown bed head and sleepy face in the mirror. She took a deep breath and reminded herself not to get her hopes up. She pulled her hair into messy bun, then ran downstairs.       'Well, good morning, sleepyhead.' Dad laughed as he slid a stack of two pancakes onto Meg's plate. "I thought maybe you were going to sleep all day."       Meg giggled, slathered a thick layer of butter on her pancakes, then drowned them in syrup.       Her older sister, Sarah, looked at Meg's plate and her eyes went wide. "Want some pancakes with that syrup, kiddo?"       Meg just smirked and took a huge bite. It was absolutely delicious. Just the way she liked it. "It's my birthday. You can have as much syrup as you want on your birthday," she mumbled through a mouthful of pancakes.       Sarah laughed. "Birthday or no birthday'we're going to need all hands on deck.' She looked out the window. 'sunny days like this always bring the crowds.' Sarah was seventeen and the coolest, smartest person Meg knew. She wanted nothing more than to be like her big sister when she grew up.       Their brother, Ben, groaned. 'maybe if we're lucky, it'll start to rain.' At fifteen, Ben was slightly less cool and less smart than Sarah, especially since he was always teasing Meg and reminding her that she was the baby.       Sarah elbowed him in the ribs. 'tough luck. It said on the weather app it's going to be sunny all day. Which means . . . Say it with me, Ben."       Ben squeezed his eyes shut and tipped his head back. "Ugh. It means'"       'It's going to be a great day for trees," he and Sarah chanted in unison before bursting out laughing.       Meg watched her siblings and couldn't help feeling a pang of jealousy. She knew that her older brother and sister loved her, but they were closer to each other than they'd ever be to her. It was almost as if they spoke a secret language only the two of them understood, and they could crack each other up with barely a glance. Meg wanted to be part of the club. She wanted them to think she was just as hilarious as they were'and just as helpful, too.       Meg's family owned and operated a Christmas tree farm. They lived in a house on one end of their land and sold the trees from a lot at the front. Meg had been helping around the lot since she was li