This is a heart-warming gem told from a dog’s perspective and her experiences with humans, other animals, feelings, and smells. The writing is very easy to understand but does not take away from the complexities of emotions Stella is feeling throughout the book. Hoyle does an exceptional job at addressing topics of death, grief, PTSD, trauma, trust, and healing. Stellas relationship with Cloe was especially heart-warming because it doesn’t happen overnight, instead it develops through trial, error and learning to trust one another. This is a must-have book in everyone’s bookshelf!

Thank you NetGalley and Shadow Mountain for the complimentary ARC. All thoughts and opinions in this review are my own.

This story was absolutely adorable. It is written from Stella's point of view and that makes it such a fun read. I think readers of all ages would love this book, even my 1st graders! Stella was a bomb sniffing dog that had some PTSD from a bad explosion that killed her handler (all explained in VERY kid friendly terms and not too scary). She is getting rehabilitated by an 11 year old girl and her dog training mom. Together they learn how to become more than just a mini trainer and traumatized dog. It was so heartwarming and lovely.

This is a book that every body needs to read!! If you want a well written heartwarming story, grab this book. Chloe and Stella's story will stay with you long after you turn the last page. I loved this book! Thank you Shadow Mountain Publishing via NetGalley for the ARC copy of this book. All opinions expressed are my own.

I received a copy of the book from Netgalley to review. Thank you for the opportunity.
A sweet and heartwarming story all told from a dogs perspective. It has some older themes. The writing is good and relatable. A good story for dog lovers.

I received this e-ARC from NetGalley and Shadow Mountain in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
Stella, a former bomb-sniffing beagle, is suffering from PTSD after a mission went terribly wrong at an airport and her handler died. She has been to several foster families with no success – that is until Esperanza brings Stella home to her farm and where she meets the other working dogs and Esperanza’s daughter Chloe. Being a beagle, Stella has an acute sense of smell and picks up on the strange chemical smells emanating from Chloe, especially just before Chloe has a seizure. As Esperanza and Chloe work to rehabilitate Stella, the beagle forms a strong bond with “her girl.” Will it be enough to overcome her trauma?
This is a wonderful story dealing with very real issues. It is told from Stella’s point of view as she doesn’t quite understand what happened on that dreadful day. As she bonds with Chloe, she finds new purpose. Every dog deserves a second chance. The book is a short, quick read and I highly recommend this book for grades 3 and up.
#Stella #NetGalley

What an absolutely HEARTWARMING story.

I loved reading Stella’s inner monologue—she’s the goodest girl, filled with love and loyalty for her humans. McCall Hoyle also writes Stella’s POV in such an interesting way: with descriptions that are unconventional for a human but perfect for a dog. (For example, when someone dies, Stella says that they smell like the “outside” of themselves; a sheep, on the other hand, smells “vaguely like Connie’s old sweaters.”)

The language in this novel is accessible and uncomplicated without diluting the complexity and emotion of Stella’s experiences. Hoyle deftly writes about coping with trauma, grieving one’s human, and trying one’s best to be loved despite recognizing one’s own shortcomings. Stella’s blossoming friendship with eleven-year-old Cloe was an especial highlight for me.

Shout out to my good friend Sheena for recommending this to me! She warned me that I’d be needing a box of tissues on hand… and she was absolutely right.

Bottom line: Stella may be a dog—a very, very good dog—but her experiences, her story, transcend species.




Thank you NetGalley and Shadow Mountain Publishing for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

My Rating: 5 Stars

Following an explosion at an airport, Stella the beagle is retired from her service as a security dog, only to be passed from home to home. Just when it seems that Stella has no hope of a happy future, a dog trainer named Esperanza decides to take Stella in so she can help Stella heal from her psychological trauma. The true healing comes when Stella bonds with Esperanza's daughter Cloe, who needs Stella just as much as Stella needs her.

This was a very cute book, and perfect for children and youth from late elementary through middle school grades. The story is told from Stella's perspective and you see how she yearns to love and be loved following the traumatic incident in the airport where she used to work. Her perspective is fairly naive, but very sincere. I think young kids would connect with her and her new owner, Cloe.

Content Guide:

Sex & Affection: None

Language: None

Drugs, Alcohol, Substance Abuse: Coffee is consumed

Crime & Violence: Some delinquent youth cruelly hunt squirrels, try to intimidate another youth, and misuse fireworks.

I DNFed this book at 14%. It just seemed like it was kind of heavy material for a middle grade book. I also just couldn’t get into it. Maybe I just wasn’t in the right mental space, I’m not sure. It was written fairly well. It just wasn’t for me.

#BookReview: STELLA by McCall Hoyle 5 stars

“Do the thing you think you cannot do, girl.”

Wow! The story is brilliant. I know a lot of research has been done to make this book possible. This is Stella’s story. She is a beagle and a working dog. Beagles are scent hounds. She was good at her job until the incident with Connie. She is so pitiful when events trigger her PTSD. I learned so many things about dogs in this book.

The way the story is written in Stella’s point of view is amazing. I can see what she sees, smells what she sniffs and feels things with her. The words are written beautifully and with humor. Stella says things like, “ I wag my tail when I’m happy.” or “Books are good. I know a thing or two about them. One, don’t eat them.” That made me laugh. I love how Cloe handles Stella. I enjoy their play time. Stella’s issues are overpowered by her concern of Cloe. She knows her scent and it is so heartwarming that she wants to do anything for her human. I may have shed a tear or two. I highly recommend it for animal lovers or if you want a very sweet and uplifting story.

Thank you Shadow Mountain Publishing and #netgalley for the complimentary copy. All opinions are my own.

What an amazing book! Stella is a beagle who has a job sniffing out explosives. While on duty she smells explosive material and is about to alert when a security guard opens a door that causes a cross draft and confuses her for just a moment. That moment is all it takes for the bad guy to arm the explosive and cause havoc. Following the explosion, Stella sees her handler, Connie, laying on the concrete and not moving. Then Connie is carried away by some men in uniform. Stella misses Connie. She is also suffer from post traumatic stress disorder as a result of the incident. They have decided to retire Stella, but have been unsuccessful in placing her successfully because of her behavior when left alone or around loud noises. Just when it seems Stella may be in for permanent retirement, a dog trainer who also happens to be Connie’s friend, agrees to try to help her recuperate. Stella forms a special bond with the trainer’s daughter. That bond will challenge Stella to do that which she never thought she could.

I enjoy reading middle grade and young adult books for a change of pace occasionally. I choose this book because I thought it fit that category. Well it does, but it is so much more. It is a story about overcoming fears and having the courage to do that which we think is impossible. As you would expect from a book for the younger reader, it is clean. There are no sex scenes, no uses of alcohol and no foul language. There is a small amount of non-physical violence in the form of bullying, but is is not overly graphic. It reads like any well written novel for adults and will definitely pull your heartstrings.

The book is written from the perspective of Stella, but the writer does an amazing job with that point of view. She doesn’t attribute a lot of human characteristics to Stella, but rather puts human words to canine characteristics. This approach makes the book so realistic and genuine. It is obvious that Ms. Hoyle did her research.

I was so engrossed In the story I had to complete the book in one setting, I just couldn’t walk away without knowing the ending. This story had me in tears more than once and I laughed out loud several times. I know if you give it a try, you will likely love it as much as I did. I recommend this book to everyone, especially those who have a love for animals.

Stella by McCall Hoyle is an incredible book for anyone who loves animals, especially dogs. Stella is a working dog who used to sniff for explosives at the airport. After a horrible accident, Stella is left with severe PTSD and needs a new home. Even though she misses her old life, Stella is determined to overcome her fears and prove herself to her new family.

Stella is a super sweet book about the four legged friends who love us so well. Because the book is written in Stella’s point of view, it is a fun, interesting read that kids will definitely enjoy.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the advanced copy.

I cried while reading this. It’s told from Stella’s POV. Stella is a beagle who’s been trained to sniff out bombs by her trainer, Connie. But when an explosion at a local airport goes horrible wrong, Stella is out into a foster home. She is then taken in by Esperanza, a fellow trainer, who thinks she can help. There Stella finds her true calling. Esperanza’s daughter Chloe convinced her mom to let her start training Stella. The two form a bond much deeper than either realize. Great book and I highly enjoyed it!!

Special thanks to NetGalley and Shadow Mountain Publishing for providing me with Arc.

This is the first book for me in children fiction and I really enjoyed it and also my daughter love it so much. I look forward to read many of books in this department in the future.

I received an advance reader copy of this book to read in exchange for an honest review via netgalley and the publishers.

Stella is a children's book (which I thoroughly enjoyed as an adult) about love and friendship and how the two together can rescue and save people and in this case an animal too.
Stella is a beagle and the POV in this story is told through Stella. Stella is an ex-service dog who worked at the airport with her owner until a chemical blast killed her owner and caused Stella PTSD (post traumatic stress disorder). Stella has been placed in several adoptive homes but because of her PTSD she keeps being moved on. Stella desperately wants to survive and be with her old owner and doesn't understand why she can't be with her anymore.
Stella gets help in rehabilitation and finds another new home with a little girl with epilepsy. Stella saves her life and unbeknown to the girl, she saves Stella's too with her live and friendship.
This is such a beautiful book and so cleverly well written. It brought tears of sadness and joy to my eyes with its powerful story and message.
Thank you for such an amazing story. This will stay in my heart and mind forever.

I really liked the book, it shows that working dogs need to work! I liked the worked with the dog and the book being written from the dogs point of view was genius, I loved hearing from Stella! Great book!

Stella suffers from ptsd and the loss of her human after missing the scent of an explosive at an airport. The book is told from her point of view and I think Hoyle did a wonderful job in portraying her. She felt so real and I absolutely loved her. I even cried about five times.

The story is very wholesome, full of love and hope. There’s an underlying message that every dog deserves another chance but I think it can also be taken into a context where everyone and anyone deserves a second chance as well. This is perfect for any readers of all age and I do think the underlying message is lovely. I plan on buying a copy of this for my shelf when it is published. I can't wait to see more from this author in the future!

Thank you to Shadow Mountain Publishing and Netgalley for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Stella is a beagle who has worked as a sniffer dog at an airport with her handler, Connie, and we see this story from her point of view. Unfortunately, Stella makes a mistake, and Connie is killed in an explosion. We meet the dog when she is trying to settle in to her third home with Diane, but Diane doesn't understand Stella's needs. She takes Stella back to the canine facility where Connie worked, and Stella hopes to see her handler, but instead, she is almost euthanized, since she seems unable to settle into a new life. Thankfully, a friend of Connie's, Esperanza, is there, and offers to take the dog back to her sheep farm and train her. Esperanza has a young daughter, Cloe, who is used to her mother training dogs, but takes to Stella and wants to make her a pet. Her mother says that Stella is better off is she can get back to work, so puts her in a crate in the barn at night so she can be with the other animals, including sheep dog Nando. Because of her experience in the explosion, Stella is very skittish, and doesn't like storms or the obnoxious neighbor boys who have firecrackers. Interestingly, when she is out running errands with Esperanza and Cloe, Stella is able to tell that Cloe is about to have an epileptic fit, and is very restless, trying to relay this information to her humans. Esperanza is about to despair of ever training the dog correctly, when Stella saves Cloe from a very hazardous situation. When Stella's real talents are discovered, she is allowed to stay with Cloe as her new furever friend.
Strengths: Dog books are always popular with my students, and I was super excited to read a book about a girl with epilepsy. There are very few of these out there, but a fair number of students with the condition. It was interesting to see different types of working dogs, especially Nando, who herds sheep. I also liked the back and forth between Cloe, who just wants a dog of her own to cuddle at night, and her mother, who believes that dogs need to work. The plot was cleverly arranged to get some action and adventure into it, and the characters were well developed. Really enjoyed this one.
Weaknesses: I almost had to stop reading when Stella was at the canine facility and almost put down. Having lost Sylvie in September, this was just too hard for me to read. I went back to it after I finished the book, and it's very delicately done. I don't think it will upset younger readers all that much. I was just bringing too much of my own experience to the book. In the same respect, the book made me feel like I made Sylvie's life a decent one, even if she never got enough tasty treats!
What I really think: It's fantastic that the author cites Alexandra Horowitz's work, and has a background in training dogs. This reminded me strongly of Tubbs' Zeus: Dog of Chaos, and is a great portrayal of a service dog. Definitely purchasing.

Stella is a beagle and a working dog, helping sniff out bombs at the airport with Connie, her trainer and best friend. Stella is a good dog, but she made a mistake - one mistake that cost Connie her life. After three attempts to find a new home, Stella finds she is out of time, and chances. Maybe she's a bad dog after all.

Connie's friend, Esperanza, gives Stella one last chance. She is a trainer too, and very good at her job. She lives on a farm, raising sheep with her trusty dog, Nando, and her daughter Cloe. Cloe attaches to Stella immediately, begging her mother to help train the beagle. Esperanza isn't so sure, but she decides that Cloe could help, warning her daughter that this arrangement might not work. After all, Stella has lived through an explosion and the death of her owner, and has PTSD. A dog with PTSD usually doesn't regain the qualities of a good working dog, but Cloe is determined to try -- and Stella is, too.

When Stella uses her smelling skills to warn the family of Cloe's upcoming seizure, she finds that she is useful again. "Her girl" needs her, more than anyone, including Stella knows.

This is a fast-paced, adventurous, thrilling story of the connection between humans and their dogs. Told from Stella's point of view, the reader lives the life of a beagle in training -- vying to be the best dog she can be. Readers will fight for Stella's right to one last chance, root for Cloe as she trains Stella, long for treats, and feel the love between a beagle and "her girl." Readers will cheer for Stella.

This book reminded me why I love middle grade so much! Stella was so charming and full of heart, my heart broke and mended for our brave protagonist.

The book was told in Stella’s POV and Hoyle did a fantastic job at portraying Stella’s emotions and misgivings. She really felt like a real, fleshed-out character that you can’t help but root for until the very end. Stella’s PTSD was well-handled and researched, which is a huge plus.

Stella was a powerful tale of love, hope and bravery. Perfect for dog-lovers alike and I highly recommend!

I absolutely adored this book! Told from the point of view of a beagle, it is full of heart and love for our canine friends.
Stella was a service dog trained to sniff explosives. She lost her handler when a bomb went off at the airport and now suffers from PTSD. She's been given several chances to be rehomed, but none of them worked out. Until she met Cloe. Cloe turns out to be just who Stella needs. And Stella is just the dog Cloe needs. Cloe has epilepsy and Stella smells the changes in Cloe's body before she has a seizure. She just has to convince Cloe's mother what her keen nose is detecting.
I'll be buying copies of this for my middle-grade granddaughters. They love dogs and reading and this is the perfect book for them.