I automatically felt like this would be a very interesting story, with the love of Jasper, the cystic fibrosis boy, and Whistler, the abused dog who was looking for his forever home. I was in dread the first 3/4 of the book. It seemed like with all the bad news and turns of events, that there was no way anything good or happy could come out of it. Dr. Kate Blunt, Jasper's mom, was experiencing all kinds of stress from being a single working mom trying to help a struggling veterinary business and raising a cystic fibrosis son who needed all kinds of medical attention and care. Without giving away any major spoilers, the turn of events that happened toward the end of the book that brought positivity and joy to all of them was so heart-warming. The ONLY complaint I had was that the name Jasper reminds me of the name of a dog, and not a boy, and I had to remind myself that I was reading about the boy's thoughts and not the dog's thoughts. Middle school students would love this book. Themes of pet ownership, companionship, seeing beyond the pain in others, etc... makes this a great literary work to discuss and debate. ( )

As an animal lover, I felt drawn to the subject matter of the book. Initially, the mother’s character seemed too polarized- the author depicted her personality too harshly. However, the progression of the story line improved, and the main character, a little boy with cystic fibrosis, and the dog, Whistler, captured my heart. ( )

rabck from collectorkerri; this ugly dog lands in Kate's shelter. The microchip says his name is Lucky, but Kate's 11yo son with CF says his name is Whistler - and he seems to have the same CF cough that Jasper does. The story unfolds with Kate still struggling to raise Jasper on her own, Jasper having a CF hospitalization and what to do about Whistler, the most ugly dog ever, but who is really a trained service dog. And Jasper has it right all along. ( )

Synopsis: Jasper is a boy with Cystic Fibrosis is being raised by a single mother. He has never been allowed to have a dog before even though he has desperately wanted one. One day Whistler, an older dog with scars and who has obviously been through a lot, comes into the shelter where Jasper's mother works and the ha and Whistler form an instant, perhaps supernatural, connection.

My Rating:
5/5

Before I begin my review I did want to mention that I won this book through a library things giveaway. That in no way influenced this review and all the thoughts herein are my own honest opinions.

I absolutely loved this book. It was sweet and heartwarming. It gave me ALL the feels.

I loved seeing Jasper's Cystic Fibrosis journey and the effects it had on his life and the life of his mom. I don't know enough about the disorder to say the representation was good but it felt authentic.

I enjoyed the character development both of Jasper and I felt sympathy for his mother and the difficulties she faced caring for a sick child.

Despite overall loving the story I did have a few negatives to mention. The book is told in alternating perspectives between Jasper and his mother so there are times when one chapter backtracks a bit to cover things already covered in the last chapter but from the opposite perspective. Sometimes this added to the story. Sometimes I found it unnecessary.

I also had some struggles with the mother. She made some choices in the book that I just wasn't onboard with and they were ones I had trouble sympathizing with though overall I did think she was a sympathetic character. I think I wanted more character development from her. She has a perspective in the book but I felt like even her chapters focused heavily on Jasper even though there were things we could have explored about her as well that just were not bothered with. I felt like the only part of her we saw was in relation to her son and her care giving duties but she didn't have much development as an individual.

Another complaint I had was the books epilogue. I didn't find it necessary and didn't like it.

This book isn't flawless but I truly loved it. I had a great time reading it. I cried. It touched my heart.

I would highly recommend it to dog lovers. I thought this book was an amazing story of the bond between a boy and a very special dog.

*Minor spoiler (but only because I know that people are often wary about picking up a book about a sick child and their dog) this book is not an Old Yeller type of book. It is not a Where the Red Fern Grows Type Book. So, if you were worried about heart break, you won't find that sort of heart break in this book. Lots of other tears. But not for the typical kind of ending these dog and their boy stories have. ( )

I learned a lot about Cystic Fibrosis from this book.
Kate is a veterinarian in an animal shelter, her son Jasper is an eleven year old with Cystic Fibrosis. Jasper falls hard for an old beat up stray dog with a mysterious past, and Kate has to decide whether their family can handle the addition of a dog with the turmoil of being a single parent with a very sickly child.
This was a quick, enjoyable, if somewhat predictable read. I received a copy from the publisher through Library Thing's Early Reviewer's Program.
Thank you Library Thing and William Morrow Books. ( )