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Lily to the Rescue! #5

Lily to the Rescue: Lost Little Leopard

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A new addition to the irresistible chapter book series from the New York Times bestselling author of A Dog's Purpose , featuring Lily, a rescue dog who rescues other animals!

Lily lives with her girl, Maggie Rose. Once a stray, Lily was rescued by the kind people at the animal shelter run by Maggie Rose’s mom. Now she has a very important purpose: to rescue other animals in trouble.

When a lost little Amur leopard is brought to the zoo and needs a friend, it's Lily to the rescue!

Don't miss more Lily to the Rescue adventures
Lily to the Rescue
Lily to the Rescue: Two Little Piggies
Lily to the Rescue: The Not-So-Stinky Skunk
Lily to the Rescue: Dog Dog Goose
Lily to the Rescue: The Misfit

128 pages, Hardcover

Published February 23, 2021

18 people are currently reading
247 people want to read

About the author

W. Bruce Cameron

95 books4,475 followers
I’ve always loved dogs, which puts me in a unique category along with what, maybe two or three billion people?

What’s not to love about an animal who will sit in your living room all day long, waiting for you to get home, and even if you need to work late and then stop for a stress-relieving beverage on your way home, when you unlock that front door, is absolutely overjoyed to see you? How could you not adore an animal who senses when your day is not going well and tries to cheer you up by dumping a sodden tennis ball in your lap?

I was probably 8 years old, playing in the back yard of our house in Prairie Village, KS, when my dad opened the gate and in rushed a 9-week-old Labrador puppy. I fell to my knees and spread my arms and that dog leaped into them as if we had loved each other our whole lives. It’s a scene that shows up in A Dog’s Purpose—a puppy and a boy meeting each other the very first time, both of them full of unrestrained joy.

We named the dog Cammie. She arrived in my life when I was just beginning to connect some of the dots in my memory to make a picture of who I was, forming my identity as a child. I remember every skinned knee and bicycle ride in the context of Cammie, who was always there for me. And I lost her just as I was starting to leave childhood behind, passing on after I’d spent a year in college. That’s Cammie, the dog of my childhood.

Years later I was riding my bicycle in the mountains outside of Pine, CO. A chance decision to bounce down a dirt road led me past a few scattered ranches and one small house near a creek, set back from the road at least 50 yards. A single “woof” from a dog caught my attention, and I braked and stood in the dry, clear air, regarding the dog who had called out to me.

She was on a chain by the house, and a fence stood between us, so I remained on the road even though I could see that the dog, a black lab mix with a crazily active tail, was clearly friendly. I gazed at her and the dog sat, attentive, staring into my eyes exactly the way my first dog, Cammie, used to look at me, really seeing into me.

And that’s when the thought hit me. What if this wonderful dog was Cammie? What if dogs live over and over again, and always remember us?

I dismissed the thought, waved at the dog, and rode away, but days later the idea came back to me. What if?

I’ve been a writer my whole life, but never have I ever written anything as important as A Dog’s Purpose.

I can’t promise you that A Dog’s Purpose will make you love your dog more—how could it do that? But I’ll tell you what a lot of people have told me: after reading A Dog’s Purpose, you’ll never look at your dog the same way again.

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5 stars
70 (53%)
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34 (25%)
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
Profile Image for Becky.
6,142 reviews302 followers
February 6, 2023
First sentence: I was playing in the backyard with my girl, Maggie Rose, and my friend friend Brewster. Well, Maggie Rose and I were playing. Brewster was watching. Watching is something Brewster does a lot. Napping is something he does even more. Maggie Rose is my girl, and I am her dog. We were playing my favorite game in the entire world, which is Give-Lily-a-Treat. But Maggie Rose ketp getting it wrong.

Premise/plot: Lily helps a lost little [Amur] leopard in this installment of Lily to the Rescue. Lily proves herself essential or vital to the leopard's well-being. What will happen when the leopard finds a new home/sanctuary/zoo??? Will Lily have to move with the leopard???

My thoughts: I love this series so much. I love reading the adventures and misadventures of this adorable, sweet, helpful dog. I love the family dynamics. I love the formula of this series. If you love one of these books, you'll love them all. (And I do love them all. Or at least all the ones I've read.)
Profile Image for Alana Robinson.
203 reviews
April 20, 2021
This book was good, I loved the story, and I also love that W. Bruce Cameron made the little Amur Leopard a girl.
Here's the story:
Lily, Maggie Rose, Mom, and Dad find macaws, and soon find a Amur Leopard. Lily is so kind and such a good dog that she got the Amur Leopard out. After that, Lily spends most of her day wrestling with Jax and wrestling with Nala (the Amur Leopard). Nala stops eating and only will come out if Lily's there. And soon Lily has to stay there with Nala for most of the day! And Maggie Rose is sad. But then Jax the Rottweiler comes and makes friends with Nala and Lily can go back to living with Maggie Rose! Jax will be Nala for the rest of their lives.

The End
You should read this!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Profile Image for Laura.
403 reviews7 followers
February 28, 2021
I can see this having a big appeal to children. Who doesn’t love a dog protagonist? Lily is a rescue dog who helps other dogs - that’s a fun premise for a series. I can’t get past the feeling that this book is nice - but nothing felt exceptional. I think that I would have liked a bit more depth to learning about Amur leopards in the text, rather than waiting for the section at the end. I also think it was odd to name another leopard Hari Kari in a children’s chapter book. It just seemed out of place and poor taste. But I thought the plots with Jax and Nala were wrapped up nicely! It kept me wondering how they would come together and the ending was satisfying.
Profile Image for Deidre.
129 reviews
July 1, 2025
This installment of the book series was extra enjoyable. The usual players, but Maggie Rose had some more complex drama situations in this book. My 6 year old niece really enjoyed reading it.
Also the educational components were pretty strong. My niece had a lot of spin off questions, thus she was really interested and engaged with those aspects of this particular story.
Profile Image for Jenn Neely.
233 reviews5 followers
August 29, 2022
Such sweet books! I love reading these books with my 7yo. They are written in the POV of the dog, and they're just so fun. Good artwork as well.
Profile Image for Sara Hubbard.
510 reviews1 follower
February 23, 2024
(Book) I read this with Matilda and she said…
It is super duper sweet, a little bit sad (which I do like some sad stories), and it’s super cute. Thumbs up!
Profile Image for Laura Slabach.
200 reviews2 followers
August 17, 2023
Super disappointing! They switched illustrators after "Dog, Dog, Goose", story is fine but the illustrations were really the best part. Not a fan of the new illustrator.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews

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