A Dog's Purpose
By W. Bruce Cameron
Read in 8th Grade
A dog is born in nearby a river with his mother and three siblings. They are wild scavengers, and the mother teaches them to fear humans. However, one of the dogs feels an irresistible attraction to them, which inevitably gets the pack caught. They are taken to the Yard, where he is named Toby. He enjoys his life there, but one day, a fighter dog named Spike arrives and upsets everything. He injures Toby, and soon after, the owners of the Yard are forced to give up their dogs due to "mistreatment". Toby dies, and is reincarnated as a new puppy in a breeding facility. Using some knowledge from his life as Toby, he escapes his pen, and goes out into world, eventually being picked up by a family who names him Bailey. He and the boy, Ethan, are soul mates, doing everything together, and Ethan leads a cheerful life. Then one day, a bitter ex-friend named Todd injures him in an arson. Ethan is crippled, and he loses everything - girlfriend, football, scholarship.
A dog is born in nearby a river with his mother and three siblings. They are wild scavengers, and the mother teaches them to fear humans. However, one of the dogs feels an irresistible attraction to them, which inevitably gets the pack caught. They are taken to the Yard, where he is named Toby. He enjoys his life there, but one day, a fighter dog named Spike arrives and upsets everything. He injures Toby, and soon after, the owners of the Yard are forced to give up their dogs due to "mistreatment". Toby dies, and is reincarnated as a new puppy in a breeding facility. Using some knowledge from his life as Toby, he escapes his pen, and goes out into world, eventually being picked up by a family who names him Bailey. He and the boy, Ethan, are soul mates, doing everything together, and Ethan leads a cheerful life. Then one day, a bitter ex-friend named Todd injures him in an arson. Ethan is crippled, and he loses everything - girlfriend, football, scholarship.
