Cooper's Story: A Puppy Tale

A Dog's Purpose Puppy Tales

by W. Bruce Cameron

A brand new Puppy Tale from the #1 New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of the A Dog's Purpose series, W. Bruce Cameron!

When Cooper -- a Malamute-Great Dane puppy -- is taken to an adoption fair, he finds the perfect forever home with a boy named Burke. Soon Cooper discovers his very important purpose: to help Burke by pulling his wheelchair, fetching things for him, and assisting him in and out of his chair.

Cooper's Story is an uplifting new Puppy Tale in the popular series by #1 New York Times bestselling author W. Bruce Cameron.

Genres: Fiction, Dogs, Childrens, Animals, Middle Grade, Contemporary, Young Readers

224 pages, Hardcover

Published June 1, 2021

About the author

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.

Reviews

[Dario · Rating 5 out of 5]

It was a very good book. I really like all of W Bruce Cameron’s books but this one was one of my favorites.

[Julia Hart · Rating 5 out of 5]

“Cooper’s Story” is the children’s version of Bruce Cameron’s moving book, “A Dog’s Promise,” and it is a delight. Cooper is a husky trained to assist a boy in a wheelchair, and his story will help kids with disabilities feel seen and understood, and help other kids understand what disabled kids go through and how they feel. As a disabled grown “kid,” I highly recommend this book to all kids disabled or not. I think like me they’ll fall in love with “Cooper’s Story”!

[Emily · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the second book I’ve read in the Puppy Tales series and it did not disappoint! The dog Cooper was the storyteller to this story with love, drama and heart. Did not make me want to stop reading, even though my bad allergies put a day or two behind and I couldn’t finish it on planned time. Some nice illustrations and easy to follow storyline. A great read. Would recommend to anyone who has a love for a four-legged furry friend. 🐾

[Julie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read this aloud to my 10-year old son who enjoyed hearing it and laughed along with the similarly aged main character’s sense of humor. A heartfelt story about a boy and his amazing dog.

[Ginger Ciminello · Rating 4 out of 5]

8 year-old says: 10 out of 5 stars. I think we both enjoyed this read about a boy and his service dog. “Mom, are you crying?!”

[Heidi Brydon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you to the publisher for this advance read!

I don't have kids of my own but I am like, the greatest Aunt in the history of Aunts, and all of my nieces and nephews are getting this book for summer reading. I'm a huge fan of the "grown up" books of W. Bruce Cameron, and so I am always introducing kids to this author through these books. I have created some real superfans!

But the truth is, I read every one of these books before I give them, and they make the most gentle, heart-tugging, often hilarious bedtime stories for an adult.

Cooper is a dog with a very special purpose, he's being trained to be an assistant dog to his boy Burke, who is in a wheelchair. His journey towards understanding that he is a dog who is not like other dogs, that he is a dog who WORKS is suspenseful, emotional and so satisfying.

Also his devotion to his true dog love, Lacey, is so sweet and adorable. I found myself rooting for a boy and his dog and a dog and his dog!

I also love how this book explores the world of a differently abled child without preaching, because, well, it's told from the point of view of a dog. Dogs don't see disability, just like they don't see race or a lot of the other things that people get so messed up about.

This feels like a beautiful, classic children's book that will last for the ages. TREAT YOURSELF TO THIS BOOK!

[Toni · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cooper's Story : A Puppy Tale
Written by: W. Bruce Cameron

This book was different. Though I have to say that I LOVE this book. If you enjoy dogs, animals, and great books, you can't put down. This is the book for you. This story just flies along, and no matter how you feel when you start, you will heart love this book and the dog in it.

#coopersstory

[Cornel Diaconu · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cooper, apparently a mix between a malamute and a great-dane, is the story teller here. He's addopted by Burke's family, the kid being unable to walk, permanently moving in a wheelchair. Cooper os supposed to become his service dog, to help him move around easier, and helping him cope with the situation.
And service dog Cooper will become - Burke will learn Cooper all sort of commands to obey, including getting the wheelchair up the stairs !

[Lucas Major · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really good dog book if you love animals

[Caroline · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this book. My 10 year old and I listened to the audiobook. It was really sweet and helped her learn about disabilities and service dogs.

[Patricia Summers · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed it. Such a cute story! I would recommend it if you love these kind of stories.

[Julia · Rating 5 out of 5]

“Cooper’s Story” is the children’s version of Bruce Cameron’s moving book, “A Dog’s Promise,” and it is a delight. Cooper is a husky trained to assist a boy in a wheelchair, and his story will help kids with disabilities feel seen and understood, and help other kids understand what disabled kids go through and how they feel. As a disabled grown “kid,” I highly recommend this book to all kids disabled or not. I think like me they’ll fall in love with “Cooper’s Story”!

[Jill Enders · Rating 5 out of 5]

Don’t let the “young reader” designation throw you off - I love this book. I’m not surprised because I love Everything this author writes. I love dogs in general and Cooper in particular. He is so loving and it gave me insight into the service dog world.

[Classic reverie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoy comparing the novel with the children's story, having recently just finished Cameron's "A Dog's Promise" the story was fresh in my mind. I liked the children's version but loved the novel which is more involved and subject matter too much for young children. I will compare in my spoiler section but an overall difference is "Cooper's Story" felt like a pure training story without the drama. One thing I am not a fan of "bathroom talk" which this had a small exchange, even writing this makes me cringe, but in general I thought the story pleasing.

Story in short- Burke being disabled since birth looks to train a puppy to help him with many different things.

❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌spoiler alert❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌

"A Dog's Promise".

The beginning has Ethan telling Bailey he
is needed for another important purpose.

The farm is having a hard time from
the drone farming making it harder
to farm competitively and the trouble
that drone farmers do to drainage.
Wenling's father working with the Trevino
on the farm.

The tension between Grant and Burke, Grant
has to do a lot of work with the farm whereas
Burke's handicap prevents doing certain things.


Wenling is Burke's girlfriend and later becomes
Grant's girlfriend and wife. Ava doesn't interact
with the brothers until she is out of college and
dates Grant before marrying Burke. A lot of drama.

The boys' parents divorce and mother does not want.
the kids, she remarried and has girls.

Grandmother dies as well as Lacey. Cooper dies and
Is several other dogs that interact with the brothers.
Lacey is another dog too and Cooper changed knows it.

Burke wants to get an operation to get out of the chair
and is able to walk after.


There is a story line about the older boys
and surviving a flood.

The school scene with the principal about the same.
Right away Cooper knows he needs Burke.

"Cooper's Story"
No prior lives of Bailey noted.
No mention of this tension
Grant and Burke get along.
All the kids stay young and Ava likes Burke right away.
Burke is only friendly with Wenling but Grant likes her.
The mother died after Burke's birth.
Grandmother and Lacey live.
There is no mention of an operation, he has a motorized chair and plays sports.
Cooper does not see right away he needs Burke but thinks of Lacey and Ava.



There are many more I cannot think of right now.

[Diego · Rating 5 out of 5]

My book is a fiction book, here is my summary:
The book was about a puppy named Cooper, who was in love with another puppy, Lacey, who was also in love with him. But one day, his owner took him to an adoption fair, with Lacey. Then, a family adopted Lacey, but not Cooper, then, a few minutes later, another family adopted Cooper. With some fortune, the owner of Lacey, Wenling, was a friend from the school of Burke, and Burke and Wenling also knew Ava, which was Cooper’s past owner, so Ava, Wenling, and Lacey often came to visit. Burke was in a wheelchair all the time, so to enter school, he wanted Cooper to be his service dog, which the principal of the school didn’t like, so Burke took her to court, and he won. Burke also wanted to play a sport, but he was a disabled kid, because he had to use a wheelchair all the time. And he was bad at all sports, except for wheelchair basketball. So he tried out for a team,and he made the academy donate five thousand dollars to the league, and he also made it to the team! After that, everyone lived happily ever after.
I loved the book, I think that it was perfect and engaging, I just can’t think of anything that the author can improve on his next book. The book didn’t make me grow, I think the author's purpose was to entertain. I recommend this book to teenagers, or kids older than 9 years, because if they were younger, they wouldn’t understand some dialogues. Also to disabled people, because this book shows that you can make anything you want, even if you are disabled.

[Melinda Brasher · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this. The first bit was so charming that I read a good 35 pages when I'd planned just to read for ten minutes before I went to bed.

I love how Cameron can write so convincingly from the point of view of a dog. We as the readers see everything that's going on, as the dog reports it all, but he only processes things according to his dog experience and knowledge. It's really a fine line to walk, and sometimes Cameron steps slightly off, but most of the time it's really well done.

I love the characters, especially Cooper, the dog.

It did get a bit repetitive at times, and a few things felt unrealistic, like [SPOILER ALERT! SPOILER ALERT!] the way the principal handled the service dog issue. Also, I think that many people are aware that wheelchair basketball is a sport. I would think that a kid who uses a wheelchair, whose brother plays basketball in school, and who clearly wants to play sports would also be aware of the existence of wheelchair basketball as a sport, especially since it's clear he's a good researcher. Yet it seems like he's never heard of it or imagined it. And it certainly takes his loving family a while to get there too. That made the ending feel rather contrived. [END SPOILERS].

Overall, a very cute book with an ADORABLE cover. A pleasure to read.

[Rebecca · Rating 3 out of 5]

The reading by the author (I listened to the audiobook) is ok, not great. He keeps his voice way too low for the kids; I had to keep reminding myself these were middle-school-age kids, not adults. And his over-enunciation of the judge’s lines was a little weird. The story is lovely if you just take it at face value. But I kept wondering: why is he not using a vest, which tells the dog & the public that he’s working? How did he do so much research on how to train the dog & not on the definition of a service dog, & what’s required to call him that. (This book will not educate you on that.) How did the father & grandmother not think of that?? And how did the adults not think they needed to discuss with the school his bringing the dog to school?! And AFTER that, with the principal objecting, how did they not look into GETTING the dog certified as a service dog?! All they had to do was get a service dog organization to test him! Then the principal—& everyone else—would HAVE to allow him everywhere, as per the ADA. How did they not argue in court about the dog helping him if he fell out of the chair, or if the ONE ramp got blocked, or if the battery died in the power chair?! I thought maybe the book was written before the ADA was passed, or—were they in Canada?—but no, they were in the US, & it was published in 2021.

[Pat Finn · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was given an advance copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

What a gem!

As someone who has owned a malamute mix, this cover melted my heart. But this story, told from the point of view of a working assistance dog to a boy in a wheelchair is not about the dog's breed, it's about the dog's soul.

W. Bruce Cameron is known for writing books from the point of view of a dog, but what's interesting to me is how this narrative point of view actually illuminates the humans so perfectly. The dog can sense the emotions of the humans, and Cameron's people are so perfectly flawed, and so unconditionally loved by their devoted pets.

I laughed out loud, many times. And then, I was moved to tears. This book was somehow both soothing and suspenseful.

He's a gifted, gifted storyteller and I remain a huge fan.

[Andrea Latham · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent story about Cooper, a puppy that gets trained as a young dog to be a service dog for Burke who has been in a wheelchair at a very young age and was home schooled. Burke wants to be able to start in middle school with the help of Cooper his service dog to be with the other children in front of the school with the other children at the start of school. There is a lot of training for both Burke and Cooper and this shows how much work is done for both of them. There is still that don't understand how much a service dog helps people with disabilities and thinks that ramps is all they need. Burke, his family and Cooper prove how much Cooper helps him every day for a more independent life and be included with everyone in school.

[Carol Farrington · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was an extremely heartwarming book. Cooper is a puppy who is adopted by a boy in a wheelchair who trains him to be a service dog. Burke's goal (the boy) is to be able to attend regular school, with the aid of a dog, instead of being homeschooled. W. Bruce Cameron always amazes me at the way he sees into a dog's mind and writes what the dog is thinking. He may not always be right but it makes perfect sense, especially when the dog is confused and how it tries to figure things out. This is a great story to increase acceptance in kids of those with disabilities and what they go through.

[Michelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

Burke is handicapped and in a wheelchair, and wants to attend middle school instead of being home schooled. He adopts Cooper with the hopes of training him to be his service dog. Cooper is largely confused at first, as he and his litter are adopted out and he’s learning who his “new family” is. We hear the training process not just through the lens of Burke, but namely through Cooper as he navigates commands and expectations. Unfortunately, the school administration is less than supportive of his companion and lack of certified status. This short novel follows their journey together as Cooper learns to be a working dog and Burke learns he’s more than his disability. 4 stars

[Mary · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thanks to Starscape for a finished copy in exchange for my review.

I’m a dog person so what first attracted me to this book was the cover. Is that puppy adorable or what!

Author W. Bruce Cameron’s latest addition to his young readers series is a heart-warming story about a boy and his dog. Burke uses a wheelchair and wants to train Cooper to be his service dog to assist him when he goes to sixth grade. Told from Cooper’s perspective the story made me smile and feel empathy for young Burke. I know young readers will love this book. And if you think you’re too old to enjoy it, I can tell you that’s not so! Black and white illustrations are scattered throughout the book and discussion questions are included at the end.

[CR · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hello this is Anarece!! I loved this book and I give it a million stars!! I had a fun time reading about Cooper and I am happy to say that my mom got me the rest of these books from the used bookstore so I am super excited to read all of them. This one follows the story of Cooper through his life as a service dog. I loved learning more about what those dogs go through and why they are so important to kids and adults that need them. I can not wait to read more of these!! Thank you to Starscape for sending this to us!

[Christy · Rating 5 out of 5]

A brand new Puppy Tale from the #1 New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of the A Dog's Purpose series, W. Bruce Cameron!

When Cooper -- a Malamute-Great Dane puppy -- is taken to an adoption fair, he finds the perfect forever home with a boy named Burke. Soon Cooper discovers his very important purpose: to help Burke by pulling his wheelchair, fetching things for him, and assisting him in and out of his chair.

Cooper's Story is an uplifting new Puppy Tale in the popular series by #1 New York Times bestselling author W. Bruce Cameron.

[Kenley · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thought that Cooper’s was awesome! It features how dogs can be an amazing help in and throughout your life. I live the whole series of Puppy Tales. So I think you should give this book series a chance and read some of the stories about these dogs. They also all have a different purpose and owner. And lastly they all face good times and tough times throughout their lives. I have loved Coopers story.

[Diamondback Books · Rating 4 out of 5]

I only bought this book because they still sold it at Target and had to before it got discontinued. This book was next on my 2024 reading list, so I had to give it a go. Serbian Husky puppy Cooper falls in love with Boxer puppy Lacey, (who eventually got her own book) and almost does everything together with her. He gets trained as a therapy dog and even becomes an emotional support for his owner’s classmates. This story is very uplifting and motivational.

[Sydney · Rating 5 out of 5]

Warning this does have mild spoiling. Hi, this is a book I highly recommend if you are a dog lover like me. It is about a dog who is working with a boy in his wheelchair who has never gone to school so he gets a dog named Cooper. Read it to lean about there relationship and how they overcome situations.

[Patricia · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a great story that really gives a great perspective on lots of topics including service dogs, perspective of a child with a disability, and dog training. I very much appreciate the dog training information from the view point of the dog ( What does he want?). I am a fan of W. Bruce Cameron.

[Namary · Rating 4 out of 5]

I know this is a children book… how ever I got it cause have a Malamute as main character and I own 2 beautiful Malamutes my self. So yeah I need it to buy it.

I think is a solid 4.5⭐️ I cried, I laugh & overall enjoy reading this book about Cooper and his human boy Burke. Love seen how Cooper found his purpose becoming a Service dog.

[Alex]

This was a really interesting book. Out of all of the W. Bruce Cameron books, this one felt the most real and like I was really there with all of the characters. It was possibly one of my favorite books. (I did read it in one of the Dog's Purpose novels, but I'm not sure which one so some parts are different my sister says.)