Book Review: Coop the Great by Larry Verstraete

Coop is an aging, cynical, down-and-out dachshund who faces the ultimate test when his new owner, Mike, and Mike’s grandchildren, Zach and Emma, run into trouble. Mike rescued him, but does Coop have what it takes to do the same?

My thoughts:

This is a fantastic tale told from the point of view of Coop, a rescue dog, recently adopted by elderly Mike. Shortly after Coop’s arrival, Mike’s grandchildren come to stay for a while. Will Coop be able to overcome the hard lessons he’s learned from his past?

This was our most recent “read aloud” bedtime book and the boys LOVED it.

A well-written beautiful story about courage and trust on many levels.

Telling the story from Coop’s perspective adds an interesting twist, allowing a difficult subject matter to be explored while keeping a safe distance as the story is written for a middle grade audience.

The humour in the story had my boys in stitches. Let’s just say what comes naturally to dogs is not always appreciated by humans. Coop’s somewhat dry sense of humour shines through.

I attended the launch for Coop the Great at McNally Robinson Booksellers in Winnipeg. Larry had a full house to help him celebrate. McNally’s keeps track of their weekly bestsellers and as of this writing, Coop has been on their bestseller table since its launch, 7 weeks so far! I highly recommend picking up a copy!

This is an unsolicited review, I purchased this book from a local bookstore.

• Paperback: 160 pages
• Publisher: Yellow Dog (Nov. 6 2018)
• ISBN-13: 978-1773370095