After Millie, a Border Terrier, was abandoned by the family she had been living with, her only recourse is living on the streets, hiding from the humans after the family she’d been with made her distrust humans, and she has no idea where her mother or brother and sister are, of how to find them.

Once, she had a friend, Big Guy, that protected her and taught her some of the ways of living on the streets. She has found a new friend, a tiny puppy, so she now needs to find food for both of them, as well as shelter. As this story begins, it is snowing, which adds another element that she needs to consider.

The place they find shelter in is near a bakery, and the man who owns it and his granddaughter, Tory, who discovers Millie one day, and wants to keep her, but her grandfather says no.

One morning, as Millie is scavenging for food near the trash cans, she is caught, and ends up in a shelter, where she cowers in a corner most of the time, and worries about what will happen to the puppy.

When a friend of the woman that runs the shelter comes to visit, she is drawn to Millie, and even when the woman who runs it tells her that she wouldn’t want her, Lee decides that she is trainable, and brings her home.

A wonderful story of reconnecting with those you love, for both Tori and Millie. The feeling of being abandoned connects Tori and Millie even when they don’t know each other’s stories, but they can sense each other’s need for connection, for someone who will listen to their stories, always.



Pub Date: 05 Mar 2024

Many thanks for the ARC provided by Shadow Mountain Publishing, Shadow Mountain

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing this book in exchange for an honest review.
The cover immediately caught my attention because I have a terrier that kind of looks like Millie.
This is such a heartwarming book told from Millie's perspective. I am very happy to see an author say that pit bulls are loving dogs. I also like that the author shows behaviors of dogs can be though of as aggressive but they're actually reactive. I also like that she shows that abused and stray dogs can be great dogs with the right people and training.

A heartwarming book about a stray dog being fostered by Lee after she finds him in a dog rescue kennel. After working with Millie, her new name, Lee brings Millie to school where she works with children. Millie meets Tori, and they form a special bond. As their friendship grows, Tori asks Pops if she can keep Millie. He says no. One day while dog sitting Millie, Tori has to leave and Millie escapes to look for Tori. Does Millie find Tori? Will Pops change his mind and let Tori keep Millie so she has a forever home and family?

Millie is the touching story of a border terrier who has had to adapt to life on the streets after being callously abandoned by the human family she was living with. As a result, she has learned the hard way that humans cannot be relied upon, and the experience has left her suspicious and fearful.

After losing her mother, brother and sister, she is now left able to rely only on herself. But luckily,for a time after her abandonment, Millie did have the assistance of Big Guy, a seasoned street dog who taught her all the tricks to survival.

Unfortunately, Big Guy has since gone missing, and Millie herself is unexpectedly responsible for the care of a small puppy. The two of them are hiding out in an alley, behind a bakery, from which tantalizing smells taunt their growling bellies. But unless Millie figures out a way to find food and shelter for both of them, they may not survive the harsh winter that is on its way.

This story has such a lot to offer to young readers! There is the opportunity to learn a lot about dog behaviour through Millie's interactions with Lee and her Golden Retriever Bella, and to learn quite a few dog training tricks. Plus, the chance to see things from Millie's point of view throughout the book is really very special.

There are also some haunting parallels between Millie's plight and that of a young girl whose grandfather runs the bakery. The girl's mother has substance abuse issues, so Tory lives with her grandfather, and that has taken an understandable toll on her ability to trust others and enjoy her childhood. Unsurprisingly, Millie and Tori quickly take to each other, but as they soon discover, the past is not so easily left behind...