Stella

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 Stella was a puppy, she was trained to use her powerful beagle nose to sniff out chemicals used in explosives and warn her human handler in order to keep people safe.

But during a routine security inspection, Stella is distracted and misses the scent of an explosive chemical. The sound of the blast is loud and scary. Stella survives but her handler-her best friend in the whole world-is gone. Stella blames herself, certain she's a bad dog.

Scared of loud noises, especially thunder and fireworks, Stella struggles with her anxiety and must be retired from being a service animal. Several families try to foster her, but sometimes Stella is so scared she howls or digs or tears things up with her teeth. She wonders if anyone will want to adopt her.

An expert dog trainer, Esperanza, thinks she can help. It's Stella's last chance to prove she can be a good dog. Stella has every reason to love her new family, especially the young human named Cloe who smells like chocolate chip cookies, newly cut grass, the pages of books, and something else-a strange chemical she can't quite identify.

Cloe has epilepsy, and a chemical inside her body surges just before she has a seizure. Stella's nose makes the connection. But how can she warn Esperanza without her thinking it's just Stella's usual anxiety? How can she convince her new family that she can be a new kind of service dog and hopefully save Cloe's life?

Told from Stella's point of view, listeners will experience life through a dog's eyes, ears, and, especially, her nose. Like Babe the pig or Ivan the gorilla, Stella the beagle is an extraordinary story for kids who love animals. An endearing novel of courage, compassion, friendship, and love.

1137387476
Stella

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 Stella was a puppy, she was trained to use her powerful beagle nose to sniff out chemicals used in explosives and warn her human handler in order to keep people safe.

But during a routine security inspection, Stella is distracted and misses the scent of an explosive chemical. The sound of the blast is loud and scary. Stella survives but her handler-her best friend in the whole world-is gone. Stella blames herself, certain she's a bad dog.

Scared of loud noises, especially thunder and fireworks, Stella struggles with her anxiety and must be retired from being a service animal. Several families try to foster her, but sometimes Stella is so scared she howls or digs or tears things up with her teeth. She wonders if anyone will want to adopt her.

An expert dog trainer, Esperanza, thinks she can help. It's Stella's last chance to prove she can be a good dog. Stella has every reason to love her new family, especially the young human named Cloe who smells like chocolate chip cookies, newly cut grass, the pages of books, and something else-a strange chemical she can't quite identify.

Cloe has epilepsy, and a chemical inside her body surges just before she has a seizure. Stella's nose makes the connection. But how can she warn Esperanza without her thinking it's just Stella's usual anxiety? How can she convince her new family that she can be a new kind of service dog and hopefully save Cloe's life?

Told from Stella's point of view, listeners will experience life through a dog's eyes, ears, and, especially, her nose. Like Babe the pig or Ivan the gorilla, Stella the beagle is an extraordinary story for kids who love animals. An endearing novel of courage, compassion, friendship, and love.

14.05 In Stock
Stella

Stella

by McCall Hoyle

Narrated by Rachel L. Jacobs

Unabridged — 4 hours, 20 minutes

Stella

Stella

by McCall Hoyle

Narrated by Rachel L. Jacobs

Unabridged — 4 hours, 20 minutes

Audiobook (Digital)

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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 Stella was a puppy, she was trained to use her powerful beagle nose to sniff out chemicals used in explosives and warn her human handler in order to keep people safe.

But during a routine security inspection, Stella is distracted and misses the scent of an explosive chemical. The sound of the blast is loud and scary. Stella survives but her handler-her best friend in the whole world-is gone. Stella blames herself, certain she's a bad dog.

Scared of loud noises, especially thunder and fireworks, Stella struggles with her anxiety and must be retired from being a service animal. Several families try to foster her, but sometimes Stella is so scared she howls or digs or tears things up with her teeth. She wonders if anyone will want to adopt her.

An expert dog trainer, Esperanza, thinks she can help. It's Stella's last chance to prove she can be a good dog. Stella has every reason to love her new family, especially the young human named Cloe who smells like chocolate chip cookies, newly cut grass, the pages of books, and something else-a strange chemical she can't quite identify.

Cloe has epilepsy, and a chemical inside her body surges just before she has a seizure. Stella's nose makes the connection. But how can she warn Esperanza without her thinking it's just Stella's usual anxiety? How can she convince her new family that she can be a new kind of service dog and hopefully save Cloe's life?

Told from Stella's point of view, listeners will experience life through a dog's eyes, ears, and, especially, her nose. Like Babe the pig or Ivan the gorilla, Stella the beagle is an extraordinary story for kids who love animals. An endearing novel of courage, compassion, friendship, and love.


Editorial Reviews

Maine Student Book Award

2022-2023 nominee

South Carolina State Award

2023-24 State Award nominee
 

New Mexico Land of Enchantment Book Award

2022-2023 nominee

Massachusetts State Award

2023-2024 MCBA nominee

PA Young Readers Choice List nominee

2022-2023 master list

AL Children's Choice Camellia Award nomination

2022-23 master list for Grades 4-5

Oklahoma Sequoyah Book Award

2022-2023 Winner

Compass Book Rating

"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!"

Kentucky Bluegrass Award

2022-2023 nominee

Nebraska Golden Sower

2022-2023 Honor Book

FL Sunshine State Young Readers Award nominee

2022-2023 for Grades 3-5

Pennsylvania Keystone to Reading Elementary Book Award

2022-2023 nomiee

Louisiana Readers’ Choice (LYRC/LTRC) Awards nominee

2023-2024 for Grades 3-5

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

2023-2024 nomination for Grades 3-5

Foreword Reviews

"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."

Texas Bluebonnet Award

2022-2023 master list nominee

William Allen White Children's Book Award master list nomination

2023-2024 nomination for Grades 3-5

School Library Journal

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

Kirkus Reviews

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)

Product Details

BN ID: 2940176263114
Publisher: Blackstone Audio, Inc.
Publication date: 03/02/2021
Edition description: Unabridged
Sales rank: 1,149,220
Age Range: 8 - 11 Years
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