S606:
Susan Cooper, The Dark is Rising . Thanks for the suggestion but that isn’t the one. Setting is a world other than our own. The boy is being pursued through much of the book and the symbol on the staff(?) is evidence of his destiny. I think his pursuers sought to kill him initially and failed. Limited on how much I could put in the original post by PayPal though honestly my memory is the biggest limitation here. Patricia McKillip, Riddlemaster of Hed , 1976. Some details don’t match exactly, but it sounds like McKillip ‘s Riddlemaster trilogy. Morgon has three stars on his forehead, and also obtains a harp with the three stars. They are key to his destiny. Some people do try to kill him and he wanders throughout the land, meeting up with (among other people) a shape-shifter who turns into a crow for a time. Not absolutely sure but a staff may also be involved. S604: Scruffy Childrens book from 1980’s; possibly late 1970’s. The title of the book is Scruffy, but it’s not the books by Peggy Parish or John Stoneley. The book Baltican sexiga heta kvinnor is about a dog who runs away and the boy who finds him.
Prudence Andrew, Dog , 1973, copyright. This might be the same as B649 in unsolved mysteries. Andrew pleads with his father for a dog. For the twentieth time his father explains to him that dogs aren’t allowed in the housing project where they live. Andrew is determined to keep the dog. He names him Scruffy, cleans him up and feeds him, and hides him near his home in an abandoned car. Prudence Andrew, Dog , 1973, copyright. “Why can’t I have a dog?” Andrew pleads. For the twentieth time his father explains that dogs aren’t allowed in the project where they live.