Rascal Books In Order

Publication Order of Rascal Books

The Rascal series is an award-winning series of children’s books and adventure novels. It is based on canine adventures and features the central character in the form of a pet dog named Rascal. The series is comprised of a total of 6 books released between 2002 and 2018. It is written by a popular English author named Paul Shipton under the pen name of Chris Cooper. The entertaining illustrations provided in the novels of this series are the work of James De La Rue. Chris Cooper has said that the heartwarming series can be enjoyed very well by children above the age of 6. Also, it is perfect for the fans of Michael Morpurgo and Holly Webb. In addition to Rascal, the other important characters depicted in the books include Joel, Lucas, and a few others. Joel is the owner of Rascal and his best friend. He never lets Rascal out of his sight and takes good care of him at his home.

Over the course of the series, it is seen that Rascal undergoes several adventures, lands in dangerous situations, gets separated from Joel, and is chased by dog catchers. But, he shows bravery in every situation and manages to overcome the hardships. He also comes to the rescue of Joel whenever he lands in trouble. The series is quite popular among children and young audience. Its books are sold in many countries of the world and are appreciated for its rich content and exciting adventures. The stories involving humans and animals as best friends is always loved by readers and this series also provides a high standard of entertainment to the readers.

Chris Cooper was praised by critics all over the world for his excellent plot developments and storylines. He was also appreciated for the character descriptions and his unique style of writing. All these factors led to the worldwide success of the series. The Rascal books have been translated into multiple foreign languages for the non-English audience. They received an equally overwhelming response from foreign readers as well. The series’ success led to the worldwide popularity of Chris Cooper, who continued to write other entertaining books in his career. Chris is regarded as one of the most prominent authors of the children’s book genre.

Chris Cooper is a reputed English author of children’s books having the real name Paul Shipton. He was born on June 15, 1963, in Manchester, England. Chris studied at Cambridge’s Emanuel College and Manchester University. He obtained a dual Master’s degree in Philosophy and Classics and worked as an English teacher in Istanbul for one year. Following his return to England, Chris was involved in teaching English to foreign non-English students for a few years. During the course of this job, Chris wrote and published his first novel called Zargon Zoo in 1991. However, he did not publish another book for 4 years. And after publishing his next two books, Garden of Fear and Bug Muldoon, Chris moved to Wisconsin, the United States with his family. He works as a freelance editor and writer.

The most notable works of Chris under his original name include The Pug Whol Saved the World and The Pig Scrolls. The former is the winner of the 2006 Nestle Children’s Book Bronze Award. Chris Cooper uses another pseudonym of Paul Cooper to write novels for younger readers. While growing up, Chris was not sure about becoming a writer, though he loved to write stories. He used to read a lot of books when he was young and wished to become the characters that he read about in the novels. And when he finally decided to write something, he chose a story about not so cute animals that look different from the humans. Chris Cooper always liked the hard-boiled writing style of Raymond Chandler and tried to develop his story in a similar fashion. Later, he found his own style. In his spare time, Chris likes to be in the company of his beautiful wife and 2 wonderful daughters. He divides his time between Madison, Wisconsin and Cambridge, England.

The debut book of the Rascal series written by author Chris Cooper is entitled ‘Lost in the Caves’. It was released in 2002 by the Puffin Books publication. This book introduces the characters of Joel and Rascal, who are best friends. Joel owns Rascal and cares for him in his home. The story revolves around Rascal’s journey home after getting lost and separated from Joel. Initially, Rascal is seen as an average dog, not strongly built and definitely not among the bravest canines. Rascal has a playful nature that sometimes lands him into troublesome situations. Luckily for him, Joel is always there to help and rescue him. He has stood up Rascal on many occasions previously. But, when Joel finds himself in danger while exploring and site seeing on a holiday, Rascal decides that it is time for him to stand up for his best friend and save him. He shows bravery and succeeds in getting Joel out of danger. The book is filled with great illustrations that make the book even more interesting to read. It succeeded in attracting a large number of readers from all corners of the world.

Another exciting book of this series is entitled ‘Running for His Life’. It was published by Egmont UK in 2016, after its original publication in 2002. This book features Joel, Rascal, and Lucas as the primary characters. The book opens by depicting that Rascal gets lost. He is frightened to be away from Joel and wants to return to his as soon as possible. Later, when dog catchers try to catch him, he is rescued by a boy named Lucas. As Lucas is also running from his bullies, he finds a much-needed a friend in the form of Rascal. In order to return the favor of saving him from the dog catchers, Rascal decides to show his new friend how to brave and stand up against the bullies. The book is quite enjoyable and compelling to read. Rascal appears to be a believable and likable character. His life story appeals to the younger readers and teaches them not to give up in any situation. Because of the fact that the lead character is not a human, the book appeals to the readers even more. It went on to become immensely successful and was loved by one and all.