Sam hasn’t always lived in the camping ground. Now she, her parents and two brothers are all squeezed into a small cabin in a city caravan park. With Dad unwell and only mum working, finances are stretched to the max and Sam tops up the shortfall in rent herself in secret. She gets the money in different ways, none of them legal. She doesn’t feel good about it, but it’s the only way.

One night she finds herself running from the police and their dogs. Frantic, she scales a fence and drops into darkness with her stolen goods from a shop. Holding her breath, the officer and his dog don’t find her and she can finally relax. That’s when she hears something – whimpering. And the smell… It’s overpowering. She has found a yard full of cages. They are full of dogs, and around her feet are puppies, small, thin and desperate for love.

One tiny puppy in particular is so frail, she’s sure it will die, so she takes it home with her, despite knowing it is against the rules in her family’s emergency housing. This puppy and the puppy farm it came from are all Sam can think about, and she begins to do all she can for them, all the while dodging her parent’s questions, worrying how she will pay their rent, and falling into even more illegal deals and jobs.

Soon it’s not just the dogs and puppies on her mind, but a frail old lady, also being exploited by one evil man. Sam teams up with another teen from the local foodbank to bring this man down for his cruelty to animals and his own family.

They are soon caught up in drugs, guns, more crime and a daring plan to save herself, her friends, an elderly woman and all the dogs and puppies she found that night.

A fast-paced novel by a much loved New Zealand author. Susan Brocker’s novels are often animal centric and always pull at the heartstrings. Caged is no different, highlighting the terrible practice of puppy farming in NZ and around the world. The mistreatment and cruelty in Caged stretches to an old woman, upping the tension even more.

Also explored is the plight of main character Sam’s own family – with one parent sick and a hardworking, proud mother holding them together while helping others daily, they are in emergency housing and can see no way forward. After Sam’s grit and determination, I loved the culmination of her efforts in the story’s ending.

Author – Susan Broker

Age – 10+

Teacher’s Notes Here

(2023, Scholastic NZ, Dogs, Animals, Puppies, Puppy farming, Cruelty, Vet, Secret, Flash flood, Emergency Housing, Foodbanks, NZ, New Zealand, Aotearoa, NZ Author, Courage, Friendship, Crime, Action, Greed, Bullies, Drugs, Meth)