The Junkyard Awareness Tour is presented in partnership* with Bryan Reilly and The Children’s Book Review.
Venture into a secret junkyard where loyalty is tested, danger is closing in, and choosing peace may take the greatest courage of all in Bryan Reilly’s The Junkyard.
Maytag has already survived the fighting ring and found something she never expected among a hidden tribe of stray dogs: a home. But when an aggressive Rottweiler and a vengeful wolf threaten the northern junkyard, Maytag faces an impossible choice. Can a dog who refuses to fight protect the friends she loves without becoming what she escaped?
Inspired in part by Reilly’s experience as a pit bull mix owner, The Junkyard challenges stereotypes about strength and explores what it means to choose kindness, accept help, and remain true to yourself even when the world around you demands otherwise.
Mature young adults, animal lovers, and fans of classic survival stories like Watership Down will find themselves thoroughly captivated by this inspiring tale of finding family and freedom in the most unexpected places.
—The Children’s Book Review
Enter for your chance to win! Three lucky winners will each receive a signed paperback copy of The Junkyard by Bryan Reilly, and one grand prize winner will take home the ultimate book-lover’s bundle: a signed paperback copy of The Junkyard plus a $50 Amazon gift card and a $50 Barnes & Noble gift card!
Follow along on the virtual book tour, get to know Maytag and her unforgettable pack, and enter below for your chance to win!
The Junkyard
Virtual Tour Dates
| Thursday, October 1, 2026 The Children’s Book Review Book Review of The Junkyard |
| Friday, October 2, 2026 The Starlit Path Book Review of The Junkyard |
| Monday, October 5, 2026 Deliciously Savvy Book Review of The Junkyard |
| Tuesday, October 6, 2026 One More Exclamation Book Review of The Junkyard |
| Thursday, October 8, 2026 Country Mamas With Kids Book Review of The Junkyard |
| Friday, October 9, 2026 @nissa_the.bookworm Instagram Post about The Junkyard |
| Monday, October 12, 2026 Q&As with Deborah Kalb Author Interview with Bryan Reilly |
| Thursday, October 15, 2026 Confessions of a Book Addict Book Spotlight on The Junkyard |
| Friday, October 16, 2026 icefairy’s Treasure Chest Book Review of The Junkyard |
| Monday, October 19, 2026 Cover Lover Book Review Book Review of The Junkyard |
The Junkyard Giveaway
About the Book
The Junkyard
Written by Bryan Reilly
Illustrated by Rich Denver
Ages: 8-12 | 192 Pages
Publisher: Bryan Reilly (2026) | ISBN-13: 979-8903103942
Publisher’s Book Summary: Ninja is a pit bull who would rather die than hurt another dog. When she purposefully loses in the fighting ring of a cruel junkyard owner, Mr. Fergusen, she is punished and left for dead at the edge of a nearby forest. A tribe of stray junkyard dogs finds her and gives her a new name, Maytag. They nurse her back to health and welcome her into their secret home inside the northern junkyard’s mountains of wrecked cars, appliances, tires, and trains. For the first time, Maytag feels love and is incredibly relieved to be free of Mr. Fergusen’s fighting ring.
But her relief is short-lived.
Saab, the aggressive Rottweiler of the southern junkyard, plans to conquer the north with the help of a vengeful forest wolf. If the junkyard becomes a warzone, Mr. Fergusen will surely take the strays to the put-down place. When Saab’s plan is set in motion, Maytag must decide if her new friends are worth fighting for.
Buy the Book
About the Author
Bryan Reilly is a marketing copywriter, content creator, and author of The Junkyard, an award-winning middle-grade fantasy that explores kindness as courage, compassion, and found family. His love for movies and books such as Watership Down by Richard Adams and The Body by Stephen King inspired The Junkyard, which began as an emotional pen-to-paper reaction to Star Wars: Episode I.
Bryan started ‘writing for his livelihood’ in 2005, after using corporate severance money to rent a New York City loft for the Unpublished Underground, an art gallery for aspiring writers. Opening and running an ‘underground loft’ was truly a unique experience. He learned how to edit collaboratively, bind and promote materials, and bid a hasty farewell to corporate severance money!
Bryan lives in Connecticut with his wife, son, and story-inspiring pit bull mix.
Learn more at www.thejunkyardbook.com.
About the Illustrator
Rich Denver is a professional illustrator, graphic designer, dog owner, and Navy veteran. He served in the U.S. Submarine fleet under the ice of the North Pole and has a unique appreciation for the tight spaces and camaraderie enjoyed by the dogs of The Junkyard.
Thanks for following along with us on Bryan Reilly’s The Junkyard awareness tour!
26 Comments
I think it takes more courage to choose not to fight.
It takes great courage not to fight but many times in life with life and death situations we are compelled to survive and we have to fight to live.
cool
I am excited to win this for my daughter.
Thank you.
Choosing not to fight takes more courage. I would love to win this one for the kids thanks for the chance.
I think choosing not to fight takes more courage. It is easy to react, but walking away from a fight takes real strength and kindness. Maytag’s story sounds like a beautiful reminder of that. Thank you for the chance to win this book!
Poor Maytag! 😢 After everything she’s been through, I hope she can protect her new friends without having to fight. I love that the story shows kindness can be just as brave!
Sometimes it takes more courage to hold back
I’d love to win this for my grandsons.
I’m excited to win this for my 6 grandkids!
I think fighting back and not fighting back can take courage, as to which one takes more, I think it depends on the situation. Sometimes one is much harder, but which is the right decision takes wisdom!
It definitely depends on the situation; sometimes you have to fight on behalf of someone who can’t!
I think choosing not to fight takes more courage. We have two older pit bull mixes at home, and they’ve taught me that real strength is gentleness. A story that challenges stereotypes about strong dogs sounds wonderful – I would love to share it with my family!
Choosing not to fight takes more courage, in my opinion. As a mom with two strong-willed pit bull mixes at home, I have seen firsthand how kindness and patience win out. This sounds like a beautiful story about found family – fingers crossed!
Choosing not to fight definitely takes more courage, in my opinion. I am a young adult and I have learned that walking away takes real strength. Love that this book is about a pit bull mix finding her family – I grew up with pit bull mixes too! Fingers crossed!
Such an important lesson in what having courage means from a very unique perspective.
I think it depends on the situation, but if I had to choose between the two…choosing not to fight.
Kindness is a form of courage. 🌟 Fight for yourself & others. Brave favors the bold.
I think it takes more courage not to fight.
I think it take courage to stand up for yourself or others! The book sound great!
I think it takes more courage to choose not to fight — walking away takes real strength. This book sounds wonderful; thanks for the giveaway!
Sometimes it is braver to walk away from a fight.
I think choosing not to fight takes more courage. Walking away from a fight takes real strength, and it’s a powerful message for young readers. I’d love to win this prize pack for my family!
I think it takes more courage to hold back than to fight.
Takes more courage to fight back, stand up for yourself