Runt and the Diabolical Dognapping

Craig Silvey, Sara Acton

$26.99

Hardback

Forthcoming
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English

A&U Children
30 September 2025

Dogs as pets; Animal stories (Children's&YA)

Series: Runt

Six weeks have passed since Annie Shearer and Runt competed valiantly at the Krumpets Dog Show.

The town of Upson Downs is rejuvenated. The grass is green. The rivers are flowing. And a Tournament of Champions has just been announced, with the world's best canine talent invited to showcase their skills in the Grand Ballroom of the abandoned Robert-Barren estate.

But as preparations for the event get underway, Runt mysteriously goes missing, and a trail of suspicious clues surround his doghouse. Annie's worst fears are confirmed when she discovers a ransom note with a peculiar demand: she must win it all to see her friend again.

It's up to Annie and her brother Max - now an intrepid investigative reporter with the Upson Downs Speculator - to rescue Runt before it's too late.

Endlessly charming, deeply funny and bursting with heart, Runt and the Diabolical Dognapping is an engrossing mystery filled with twists and surprises. A beautiful, tender and moving sequel to the bestselling, multi-award-winning classic, Runt.

AWARDS FOR RUNT:

Winner, Dymocks Book of the Year for Younger Readers, 2022

Winner, Best Children's Book, Indie Book Awards, 2023

Winner, Book of the Year: Younger Readers, CBCA Awards, 2023

Winner, Book of the Year, Indie Book Awards, 2023

Winner, Children's Book of the Year, BookPeople Book of the Year Awards, 2023

Winner, Book of the Year for Younger Children, ABIAs, 2023

Shortlisted, Best Fiction for Older Readers, Young Australians Best Book Awards, 2024

Shortlisted, Children's Literature Award, South Australian Literary Awards, 2024

By: Craig Silvey
Illustrated by: Sara Acton
Imprint: A&U Children
Country of Publication: Australia
Volume: 2
Dimensions: Height: 208mm, Width: 138mm,
ISBN: 9781761181597
ISBN 10: 1761181599
Series: Runt
Pages: 416
Publication Date: 30 September 2025
Recommended Age: From 9 to 99 years
Audience: Children/juvenile , English as a second language
Format: Hardback
Publisher's Status: Forthcoming

Craig Silvey is an author and screenwriter from Fremantle, Western Australia. His critically acclaimed debut novel, Rhubarb, was published in 2004. His bestselling novel, Jasper Jones, was released in 2009 and is considered a modern Australian classic. Published in over a dozen territories, Jasper Jones has won plaudits in three continents, including an International Dublin Literary Award shortlisting, a Michael J. Printz Award Honor, and a Miles Franklin Literary Award shortlisting. Jasper Jones was the Australian Book Industry Awards Book of the Year for 2010. Craig's third novel Honeybee was published in 2019 and won Best Fiction for the Indie Book Awards 2021 and Dymocks Book of the Year 2020. His much-loved family favourite Runt was published in 2022 and has won multiple awards including Dymocks Book of the Year for Younger Readers 2022, Best Children's Book and Book of the Year at the Indie Book Awards 2023, Book of the Year: Younger Readers at the CBCA Awards 2023, Children's Book of the Year at the BookPeople Book of the Year Awards 2023, and Book of the Year for Younger Children at the Australian Book Industry Awards 2023. Runt was adapted into a critically and commercially successful film in 2024.