I received an advance reader’s copy (ARC) of The Unlikely Tale of Chase and Finnegan by Jasmine Warga. Since this version is just a proof and not the final version, I won’t quote directly and will keep my comments general.

In The Unlikely Tale of Chase and Finnegan, author Jasmine Warga tells the story of the two titular protagonists, a baby cheetah and a dog. The former has been born in the zoo where her mother lives after being rescued from a dangerous situation in her homeland. The latter is found lost in a park by humans, after he fled his former person’s home. Their disparate existences are brought together by these humans when Chase needs support in training. Finnegan, skeptical of this new creature, soon starts to learn that he can open up to new relationships. And together, they might be all right.

I’ve read another novel by Jasmine Warga before and loved it, so I was excited to pick this up. Warga strikes me as a deeply kind, empathetic person for humans and for non-humans, and that really shines through in her writing. Her love for animals and nature is the star of the show in this sweet, gentle book.

Firstly, though this book is certainly geared toward young readers (around 8-11 probably), I still learned things about cheetahs that I didn’t know before, so that’s cool. Evidently, this support-dog-for-cheetahs thing is a real technique utilized by zookeepers, especially when a cheetah finds itself, for whatever reason, without other cheetahs around. So the fact that the entire plot is based on this real, and frankly adorable, idea is delightful. And it’s so lovely to see Finnegan’s and Chase’s fondness for each other grow over time as they both learn what it means to have a friend—especially a friend who’s a lot different from yourself.

Warga’s writing from the perspective of two animals is also quite interesting. She anthropomorphizes them somewhat, as needed for the plot or general writing style, but it’s not obtrusive and still suits this realistic setting. For example, while we read the English dialogue that the humans use when speaking to her, Chase herself doesn’t understand what they’re saying and reacts accordingly. Meanwhile, Finnegan—a dog who’s lived among humans for his whole life—understands a lot more and so had different insight into human conversations. It’s a clever way of distinguishing these two animal characters, and it is done well enough that it won’t confuse the young audience this book is intended for.

Another thing I appreciate is the themes about loss and grief and trauma. Chase’s mother dies early on in the book, due to unspecified issues caused by her time in her homeland. Chase, a baby cheetah at the time, doesn’t understand where her mother has gone and is understandably devastated as she comes to realize that she’s never coming back. Warga is gentle with presenting these ideas, but also clearly trusts her audience to empathize. Children go through grief too, and Chase obviously is intended to be a reflection of that.

And then there’s Finnegan, who carries a lot of fear and remorse about what happened with his previous human. He feels guilty for running away, and that he doesn’t deserve the love and care of his current humans who have taken him in. He’s anxious that someday these humans will realize he’s a bad dog and will want him gone, which is such a heart-breaking idea that I wanted to give Finn a big hug. He doesn’t recognize his former human’s role in what happened, nor his own sweet nature, until he finally is able to open up to Chase about it. And again, Warga doesn’t necessarily sugarcoat his struggles, but she still takes care to present them in a way that’s accessible for kids, whether they’re going through similar things or not.

In the end, The Unlikely Tale of Chase and Finnegan is a simple story, but that’s not a bad thing. It involves grief and pain, but is more about healing and friendship, gaining confidence and strength through one’s relationships. It’s about the importance of caring for animals and the natural world at large, and how fulfilling humans’ bonds with animals can be when we treat them with respect. It’s an absolutely adorable story of friendship, and will certainly be a book that’s easy to recommend to any young reader!

The Unlikely Tale of Chase and Finnegan will be published on March 3rd, 2026!