Kirkus Review
Bailey, an adorable malamute-Great Dane mix, finds his purpose in helping a young boy and his family navigate life's tribulations.Cameron (A Dog's Way Home, 2017, etc.) offers the next in his series of books tracing the reincarnated souls of good dogs who go to heaven but are recalled to Earth as guardian angels of a sort for troubled children. Happily ensconced in dog paradise, filled with toys, sticks, and miles of shoreline to run, Bailey promises his previous owners to be a good dog again for another child. Of course, returning to the mortal realm as a puppy means that Bailey's memories of his previous lifetimes will be erasedat least until he reunites with his beloved Ethan, his owner from the first book in Cameron's series. Bailey (renamed Cooper) is given to a paraplegic boy named Burke, who trains him as a service dog. The work pays off when Burke can finally go to a real school, but soon enough, Burke's family must take on the school district, which opposes having a dog in the classroom. Worse, the Trident Mechanical Harvesting Corporation's drones have trespassed on the family's land, prompting Burke's father to shoot one with his rifle, thus risking a second lawsuit. On the homefront, Burke's older brother, Grant, is having trouble accepting Burke's disability. And on the romantic front, Bailey's love for his soul mate, a boxer named Lacey, inspires both Burke and Grant to find true love, too. Told from Bailey's perspective, Cameron's tale reflects on human behaviors that confuse dogs, from the sad capture of Bailey, his mother, and siblings to his adoption by a loving family beset by companies threatening their land and eco-friendly farming practices. The effect is, unfortunately, more juvenile than deeply philosophical.Fans of Cameron's series will delight in this latest syrupy installment. Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Booklist Review
Throughout several lifetimes, Bailey (A Dog's Purpose, 2010) is called Cooper, Riley, and Oscar, but he prefers to be known as a good dog. As a rescue puppy, Cooper trains as the service dog for Burke Trevino, a paraplegic pre-teen whose relationship with his cantankerous older brother, Grant, is an equally challenging obstacle, especially as the boys age and find themselves repeatedly vying for the attentions of the same girl. First there is Wenling, the daughter of a neighboring farmer. Later, there will be Ava, who runs the canine rescue operation. As the brothers' rivalry leads to a bitter estrangement, there will always be a good dog around to bring them together. Could it be the same dog, reincarnated with the sole purpose of mitigating the Trevino family's many crises? Cameron's stock-in-trade is assigning human emotions to his canine protagonists, but any pet owner who has ever experienced such an indelible bond will recognize the joy and comfort that comes from believing that these special relationships are, indeed, eternal.--Carol Haggas Copyright 2010 Booklist
Library Journal Review
Bailey is back! In this third outing, the dog is reincarnated as Cooper, who is adopted by a father to assist his son Burke, who's in a wheelchair. Cooper quickly learns the commands necessary to get his boy up and out of the house and back to school. An operation means the boy doesn't need the chair, but Cooper still helps the family around the farm. Also new in this tale is Lacey, a special female friend for Cooper. As in the previous volumes, Bailey/Cooper and Lacey enter and exit the lives of their human family several times over the course of the book. Burke and his brother grow up and move away from the farm. Two special women also move in and out of their lives, including Ava, who helps run a dog rescue. Through ups and downs, these special dogs help their humans in ways big and small. VERDICT Fans of Cameron's previous dog stories (A Dog's Purpose and A Dog's Journey, both made into films) will enjoy the further adventures of these wonderful animals and their people. Newcomers will also be charmed by a farm family's story told from a canine perspective. [See Prepub Alert, 4/15/19.]--Dan Forrest, Western Kentucky Univ. Libs., Bowling Green
