Stella

by McCall Hoyle

Overview

An uplifting and poignant story about a former service beagle named Stella who must find the courage to overcome her fears and use her special nose to save a girl’s life.

Ever since she was a puppy, Stella was trained to use her powerful beagle nose to sniff out dangerous chemicals and help her handler keep people safe. But during a routine security inspection, Stella misses the scent of an explosive. The sound of the blast is loud and scary. Unable to go back to work because of her anxiety, Stella is retired as a working dog.

When a young girl named Cloe wants to adopt Stella, the beagle knows this is her last chance to prove her worth. But how? When Stella smells a strange chemical inside Cloe's body, a scent that surges just before the girl has a seizure, Stella's nose makes the connection. But how can Stella warn her new family without them thinking she's having an anxiety attack? How can she convince others that she can be a new kind of service dog and hopefully save Cloe's life?

Even dogs deserve a second chance.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781629729015
Publisher:	Shadow Mountain Publishing
Publication date:	03/02/2021
Pages:	176
Sales rank:	86,473
Product dimensions:	5.70(w) x 8.30(h) x 1.10(d)
Age Range:	8 - 11 Years

About the Author

McCall Hoyle is an award-winning author and teacher librarian. When she grows up, she’d also like to be a professional dog trainer. She writes hopeful, heartfelt books for kids of all ages and believes one of the best ways to spread hope and share her heart is by writing about the special bond between dogs and their humans.

When McCall isn’t writing or teaching, you will probably find her with one of her four-legged friends training for agility, obedience, or dock diving. If she’s feeling spontaneous or needs a change of scenery, you might find her and a furry companion chasing make-believe bunnies at a lure coursing event or even hunting rats in a straw-filled barn in the foothills of the North Georgia Mountains she calls home. You can learn more about her at mccallhoyle.com.

Editorial Reviews

2022-2023 Nominee

Nebraska Golden Sower

"Heartwarming. It could quite possibly inspire us humans to be a little less judgmental, quicker to forgive, and more generous with our love. The author has done an incredible job giving us insight into the hear and mind of Stella. She's smart, kind, and loyal. Many excellent themes throughout this story. There are a few gripping and heart-pounding spots throughout the story, but the author, McCall Hoyle, has done a superior job keeping her young readers in mind as she describes these scenes.  Fast-paced from the start, the author’s ability to open the hearts of Stella and Chloe for the readers makes this story addicting and a thoroughly enjoyable read!"

Compass Book Rating

2022-2023 nominee

Oklahoma Sequoyah Book Award

2023-2024 for Grades 3-5

Louisiana Readers’ Choice (LYRC/LTRC) Awards nominee

2023-2024 nomination for Grades 3-5

KS William Allen White Children's Book Award master list nomination

2022-23 master list for Grades 4-5

AL Children's Choice Camellia Award nomination

2023-24 State Award nominee
 

South Carolina State Award

01/01/2021

Gr 3–7—Stella is a good dog, but she misses her old handler Connie and is having a hard time understanding where Connie went and why loud noises such as thunder and fireworks cause her to panic. Now, living with post-traumatic stress disorder, Stella sometimes does bad things that she can't control, like escaping from crates and digging. Because of this, she's convinced she's a bad dog who cannot change. Before Stella made her way to live with Esperanza, an expert dog trainer, and her daughter Cloe, she used to be a bomb-sniffing dog at the airport. She blames herself for Connie's death because Stella was distracted and missed the scent of an explosive device. Stella and Cloe are immediately drawn to each other, and through their relationship, Stella finds that she can still use her nose and be helpful. This tender novel from a dog's perspective will help readers understand the importance of animals in their lives. This empathetic read is also full of important themes and lessons for young readers—bravery, how to overcome fears, and that mistakes don't have to define us. VERDICT A heartfelt dog story that readers young and old will enjoy.—Alicia Kalan, The Northwest Sch., Seattle

School Library Journal

2020-12-15
A traumatized working dog has one last chance after the death of her handler.

Stella, a bomb-sniffing beagle, has been in three foster homes since the death of her handler, Connie, in an explosion. Now she’s got PTSD, and she panics at loud noises, fire, or being left alone. Unable to do anything for her, the humans plan to euthanize Stella until she receives a last-minute reprieve. An old friend of Connie’s, a world-class dog trainer, decides to take on Stella’s rehabilitation as a favor to her old friend. Through Stella’s doggy point of view (usually, though not entirely, limited to what a dog could theoretically comprehend), readers are introduced to dog training with Esperanza and her 11-year-old daughter, Cloe. Esperanza and Cloe, who come from a Spanish-speaking family background, live in the country with other working dogs, a cat, and sheep. Perhaps in this rural environment Stella can finally recover. As her bond with Cloe grows, Stella learns more about what Cloe’s sometimes-strange smells mean when she first witnesses Cloe have an epileptic seizure. Stella’s narration duly reports all the human conversations she doesn’t understand; combined with Stella’s somewhat anthropomorphized trauma recovery, Cloe’s hopes and fears come through clearly. There’s plenty of training process to please lovers of realistic dog books.

Dog training, trauma recovery, and just enough urgency to keep it moving: a quiet pleasure. (discussion questions) (Fiction. 7-10)

Kirkus Reviews

2022-2023 nominee

Maine Student Book Award

2022-2023 nomiee

Pennsylvania Keystone to Reading Elementary Book Award

"Endearing. Tender exploration of human-animal bonding. The book’s suspenseful final third focuses on Cloe’s interactions with bullies, forcing Stella to relive her own traumatic memories, and to act brave despite them. This is a circular but satisfying means for Stella to resolve her fears.  Stella realizes that it is okay to have made mistakes in the past, and that love doesn’t require working for approval...In the memorable novel Stella, a dog looks to heal—and find a home."

Foreword Reviews

2022-2023 nominee

New Mexico Land of Enchantment Book Award

2022-2023 nominee

Kentucky Bluegrass Award

2022-2023 master list

PA Young Readers Choice List nominee

2022-2023 for Grades 3-5

FL Sunshine State Young Readers Award nominee

2022-2023 master list nominee

Texas Bluebonnet Award

2023-2024 nomination for Grades 3-5

William Allen White Children's Book Award master list nomination