A Dog’s Journey

In this utterly charming and often heartbreaking follow-up to A Dog’s Purpose, Buddy, a faithful dog who, through numerous reincarnations has valiantly protected the lives of his humans, narrates the story of his relationship with Clarity June. Clarity’s mother is negligent, so Buddy has his work cut out for him, and Clarity, while still a toddler, has already been saved from drowning, poisoning, and horse trampling when she and her mother, Gloria, leave the safety of Clarity’s paternal grandmother’s home for a series of increasingly bad situations. After Buddy’s life ends, the pup is reborn as Molly and reunited with Clarity, now a troubled teenager called CJ with multiple insecurities and problems. CJ’s self-destructive tendencies and carelessness send Molly to the great beyond, but the canine comes back, first as Max and then as Toby, each time affecting CJ’s life in positive ways. Ultimately, the good dog, after years of service, learns the reward given to devoted angels masquerading as pets. Robert Frost said, “no tears in the writer, no tears in the reader”; if this is true, then Cameron must have wept buckets. Readers will devour this wonderful story and cry from beginning to end. Sweet and heartfelt, Cameron likely has another bestseller on his hands. (May)