Under Dogs by Markus Zusak

I loved The Book Thief and I Am the Messenger so I really looked forward to Under Dogs. Sadly, I didn't love it. I don't enjoy short stories and essentially this is three short stories in one. They are all about the same characters so you do get a little attached to them by the end but I find it harder to invest in short-story characters, even when there are multiple stories about them. It feels like their tale always gets cut short. 

Despite being disappointed by the book as a whole, I was definitely NOT disappointed by the writing. There were numerous quotes in the book that I loved: 

"He could have done anything he wanted. He could have said anything. He could have spat on them or hurled the can right back at them. But that was something they could have done just as easily."

"That was how he beat them. That was how he won. He did the only thing they weren't capable of themselves."

"I love her because she fights like hell. She fights better than Rube. Even Rube will tell you that - though her fight has nothing to do with fists. But it has plenty to do with blood..."

You will find an official plot line description at: 
http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/10484883-underdogs.