About this item
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.
About the Author
McCall Hoyle writes honest YA novels about friendship, first love, and girls finding the strength to overcome great challenges. She is a high school English teacher. Her own less-than-perfect teenage experiences and those of the girls she teaches inspire many of the struggles in her books. When she's not reading or writing, she's spending time with her family and their odd assortment of pets - a food-obsessed beagle, a grumpy rescue cat, and a three-and-a-half-legged kitten. She has an English degree from Columbia College and a master's degree from Georgia State University. She lives in a cottage in the woods in North Georgia where she reads and writes every day.