Dogs Don't Talk

Sixteen year old Benjamin McDowell -a wrestler and an honor student - is entering his junior year of high school and still not fitting in; either at home, where the family dog Rosie and his autistic brother get most of his mother's attention, or at school, where his teammates taunt him over being a bookworm.

Life is pretty bad when you're jealous of an old mutt and an autistic brother, Benjamin thinks to himself. If only he knew how to talk to girls, he could achieve both his goals: get a reasonably hot looking girlfriend and thus, get respect from his wrestling teammates.

But communication doesn't come easy in the McDowell family. Ben's mother has better conversations with Rosie the dog than she does with him. His older brother, Johnny can only communicate by singing Beatles' songs. His younger tattletale sister Elizabeth has her own problems dealing with the gossipy dance team. Ben's father, meanwhile, keeps his wishes for Ben short and to the point: make top grades and be a champion wrestler.

Through his love of reading, Ben meets Emily and life takes a happy turn until circumstances intervene beyond their control. Ben must learn to deal with his family dramas, a school bully and most of all, with his own insecurities.