This Troper was researching depressing books for fanart for MyImmortal. She came upon a theme. Most depressing books are either about dead dogs or Nazis/The Holocaust. So, the most depressing book ever would logically be about Nazis who kill a dog. I can see it now! ''Blondi, Mein Freund'', the heart wrenching tale of Adolf Hitler's beloved German shepherd and his agonizing decision to kill her before the Russians do. ''The Diary of Anne Frankfurter'', the bittersweet memoir of a dachshund who hides with her family in an attic during Nazi occupation. ''Mitzi's Choice'', a Polish Lowland Sheepdog named Mitzi is impounded along with her puppies, and she's forced to choose which one will be put to sleep. There would also be such titles as ''Old Yellow Star'', ''Where the Red Army Marches'', ''Summer of My German Shepherd'', ''The Schnauzer in the Striped Collar''...OK, I'll stop now!

Thanks for all the PlayedForLaughs. No seriously. The two topics alone are depressing, but put them together and it's no longer serious.

Glad you like. However, I just found a book today that does sort of put the two together! It's called ''Saving Zasha''. It's about a boy named Mikhail who lives in Russia just after WWII and finds a German shepherd. Because these dogs are associated with Nazis, a lot of Russians want them dead, however, the war has caused dogs to be scarce in Russia. It has no medal on the cover and I haven't read the whole thing, so I don't know if Zasha dies or not. (Safe to say Mikhail won't since it's from his POV.)

OK, read it. It won't be winning the Newbery. Sasha not only does not die, but she's going to have puppies that, according to the author's historical notes, will be instrumental in breeding the black Russian terrier. The dog thieves go to jail and, just to make it a mega-happy ending, Papa comes home from the war, battered but alive.

Someone needs to write this book, just to subvert all of the really shitty books that have played this straight. Seriously, someone just has to make the YA section snap out of it.