Trained as a search-and-rescue dog since puppyhood, Ellie can track and find people who are physically lost, but it is her owners, widower Jakob and lonely Maya, who challenge her to find a way to save people who are lost in other ways. - (Baker & Taylor)

Helping to find lost children and accident victims after being trained as a search-and-rescue dog, Ellie discovers an additional purpose by bringing help and comfort to her handlers, the widowed Jakob and lonely Maya. By the best-selling author of A Dog's Journey. Simultaneous eBook. - (Baker & Taylor)

Young readers will learn all about the life of a search-and-rescue dog in this middle-grade novel by W. Bruce Cameron, the author of the New York Times bestselling A Dog's Purpose - (McMillan Palgrave)

From W. Bruce Cameron, the author of the New York Times and USA Today bestselling novel A Dog's Purpose, which is now a major motion picture!

Ellie's Story is a heartwarming illustrated novel adapted for young readers from the beloved and New York Times bestselling A Dog's Purpose by W. Bruce Cameron.

Ellie is a very special dog with a very important purpose. From puppyhood, Ellie has been trained as a search-and-rescue dog. She can track down a lost child in a forest or an injured victim under a fallen building. She finds people. She saves them. It's what she was meant to do.

But Ellie must do more. Her handlers—widowed Jakob, lonely Maya—need her too. People can be lost in many ways, and to do the job she was born to do, Ellie needs to find a way to save the people she loves best.

Ellie's Story is an inspiring tale for young animal lovers. Adorable black-and-white illustrations by Richard Cowdrey bring Ellie and her world to life. A discussion and activity guide at the end of the book will help promote family and classroom discussions about Ellie's Story and the insights it provides about humankind's best friends.

Winner of the 2017 Colorado Children's Book Award for Junior Novel and the Pennsylvania Young Reader’s Choice Award

W. BRUCE CAMERON is the #1 New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of A Dog’s Purpose, A Dog’s Journey, A Dog’s Way Home (all now major motion pictures), The Dog Master, Ellie's Story, Molly’s Story, Max’s Story, Shelby’s Story, The Dogs of Christmas, The Midnight Plan of the Repo Man, and others. He lives in California. - (McMillan Palgrave)

Booklist Reviews

Starting when she is a puppy, Ellie is trained as a search-and-rescue dog, and she lives with her trainer, Jakob, a dour widower who lives for the work they do. But after Jakob is shot during a rescue mission and decides to retire, Ellie is transferred to Maya, a lonely police officer who longs to prove herself, and thanks to Ellie, she just might. It's not long, however, before Ellie is injured during an out-of-country mission, and her powerful sense of smell—an asset for her search-and-rescue work—is compromised, and she retires, spending her latter years working in nursing homes and schools. But Ellie never stops being a hero: even in her retirement, she still manages to rescue a little boy in danger. Adapted from a portion of Cameron's adult title, A Dog's Purpose (2011), this approachable novel in a lyrical tone is from Ellie's perspective, incorporating humanlike emotions that, though perhaps requiring some suspension of disbelief, will resonate with young readers. A natural choice for dog lovers. Copyright 2014 Booklist Reviews.

Horn Book Guide Reviews

German shepherd Ellie tells how she is trained from puppyhood to be a search-and-rescue dog. Her thoughts include concern for her trainers' happiness and observations about the uselessness of cats. There's suspense and action, and the human-dog interactions are heartwarming; occasional black-and-white illustrations are dark and poorly proportioned. Back matter includes search-and-rescue dog facts and a reading and activity guide. Reading list, websites.

Kirkus Reviews

Ellie tells the story of her training and life as a search and rescue dog.Ellie was first introduced in the adult book A Dog's Purpose (2011). In this adaptation for children, the story is all her own. Starting with her earliest days in a large litter of puppies, Ellie's narration details not only how Jakob, her trainer, selected her from among her littermates, but also the fascinating, realistic details of teaching her how to Find and Work, "games" that she comes to value. But Jakob is a frustration to her. He's grieving over the death of his wife and seems unable to love Ellie. After he's wounded by a criminal, Ellie is turned over to Maya, who has much to learn about partnering with a search and rescue dog, skills Ellie patiently helps her with. Injured during a rescue, Ellie's career seems to be over until she becomes involved in a breathtaking rescue of a small child swept into a rain-filled storm sewer. Ellie's view of the world is spot-on, feeling just like the thought s dogs must have, particularly her disdain for cats (not worth training) and her anxious concern for people who aren't busy playing with her ("It was too bad. They had nothing to do"). Additional information on how search and rescue dogs are selected and trained is appended. A satisfying and illuminating tale. (Fiction. 9-14) Copyright Kirkus 2015 Kirkus/BPI Communications.All rights reserved.

School Library Journal Reviews

Gr 3–6—Ellie, a German shepherd puppy born with a special purpose, narrates this tale. After just weeks with her family, Ellie is taken away and trained to be a search-and-rescue dog. She understands that her job is important; she tracks down lost children and adults. But Ellie also senses that her trainers, first Jakob and then Maya, need her, too. Ellie's story is heartwarming and suspenseful as readers follow the working dog and her trainers into life-threatening situations. Black-and-white illustrations bring out Ellie's personality and add visual appeal. A discussion and activity guide at the end offer additional information about the life of a rescue dog. VERDICT A fine read for young animal lovers.—Annette Herbert, F. E. Smith Elementary School, Cortland, NY