About the Book From the Newbery Medal-winning author of Kira-Kira comes an action-packed glimpse into the Vietnam War, as seen through the eyes of a military-trained German shepherd and her handler, a young soldier who thinks hes not tough enough for war. Book Synopsis CRACKER IS ONE OF THE UNITED STATES ARMYS MOST VALUABLE WEAPONS: a German shepherd trained to sniff out bombs, traps, and the enemy. The fate of entire platoons rests on her keen sense of smell. Shes a Big Deal, and she likes it that way. Sometimes Cracker remembers when she was younger, and her previous owner would feed her hot dogs and let her sleep in his bed. That was nice, too. Rick Hanski is headed to Vietnam. There, hes going to whip the world and prove to his family and his sergeant -- and everyone else who didnt think he was cut out for war -- wrong. But sometimes Rick cant help but wonder that maybe everyone else is right. Maybe he should have just stayed at home and worked in his dads hardware store. When Cracker is paired with Rick, she isnt so sure about this new owner. Hes going to have to prove himself to her before shes going to prove herself to him. They need to be friends before they can be a team, and they have to be a team if they want to get home alive. Told in part through the uncanny point of view of a German shepherd, Cracker! is an action-packed glimpse into the Vietnam War as seen through the eyes of a dog and her handler. Its an utterly unique powerhouse of a book by the Newbery Medal-winning author of Kira-Kira . About the Author Cynthia Kadohata won the National Book Award for The Thing About Luck and the Newbery Medal for Kira-Kira . Shes also the author of many more critically acclaimed novels, including Checked , A Million Shades of Gray , A Place to Belong , Weedflower , Cracker! , and Outside Beauty . In addition to rescuing Dobermans, shes also managed her sons hockey team. She lives in California. Visit her online at CynthiaKadohata.com.