Sixteen-year-old Iris Moody has a problem controlling her temper--but then, she has a lot to be angry about. Dead mother. Workaholic father. Dumped by her boyfriend. Failing English. When a note in Iris's journal is mistaken as a threat against her English teacher, she finds herself in trouble not only with school authorities but with the law. In addition to summer school, dog-phobic Iris is sentenced to an entire summer of community service, rehabilitating troubled dogs. Iris believes she is nothing like Roman, the three-legged pit bull who is struggling to overcome his own dark past, not to mention the other humans in the program. But when Roman's life is on the line, Iris learns that counting on the help of others may be the only way to save him. With sparkling prose and delightful humor, Jennifer Caloyeras's novel beautifully portrays the human-animal bond. "Strays tells what happens when two wandering creatures find one another, overcoming their fears to make friends and rise above their dark reputations...Young adults who want a story of more than an animal rescue or a sixteen-year-old's angst will find Strays a compelling saga." - D. Donovan, Senior Book Reviewer, Midwest Book Review Jennifer Caloyeras is a novelist and short fiction writer living in Los Angeles. She holds a B.A. in English from the University of California at Santa Cruz, an M.A. in English Literature from California State University Los Angeles and an M.F.A. in creative writing through the University of British Columbia.  She is the author of two young adult novels: Strays (2015) and Urban Falcon (2009). Her short stories have been published in Monday Night Literary, Wilde Magazine, Storm Cellar and Booth. She has been a college instructor, elementary school teacher and camp counselor. She is the dog columnist for the Los Feliz Ledger and the Larchmont Ledger.  Jennifer is available for school visits and book club meetings.