Book Review: Millie by McCall Hoyle

Book Description:

Millie is a feisty border terrier who lives on the streets and has a keen sense for finding scraps of food, usually in the shadows or the cover of darkness. She protects herself with a shield of what is perceived by many as aggression—barking and snarling—when in reality, Millie is just plain scared.

Turned over to animal control after a recent run-in with the dogcatcher, Millie is rescued by a special education teacher who also rehabilitates and rehomes dogs. It’s a win-win. Together, the dogs and her students learn emotional resilience, anger management, and other coping skills.

When one of the students, a struggling reader named Tori, shows a natural gift for dog training and working with fearful dogs, Millie is temporarily placed in her care. Tori may be young, but she knows a thing or two about anger, fear, and abandonment after her mother could no longer care for her and she was placed in kinship care with her grandfather. Millie wonders if she’s finally found her person and begins to let down her emotional guard. But when trust and belonging are challenged, Millie reverts to old habits—fleeing, hiding, and growling. Will she end up back on the streets? Or can Millie and Tori embrace their training, trust in each other, and find a forever home together?

Mille is an empathy-building novel for young readers who love dogs and is a tender portrayal of the importance of emotional safety and what it means to truly belong.

Review:

This is a very cute story told from a street dog's point of view. I used to not be a dog person (that's putting it mildly), but a couple of years ago I caved and got a dog for my teens who were struggling. When you take care of something it is very hard to not love it, especially when it loves you so much. Anyway, I can really see this story appealing to those who have or want a dog, but honestly it's just so well-written that anyone could enjoy it. It has a great message about facing fears and not running away from things that scare us (obviously there are times and places for that, but until we give some things a try we are pushing away people and situations that may be good for us). I liked how the human characters weren't perfect either-they had plenty of struggles and learned and grew throughout the story, along with Millie and a few other dogs. A great story for young and old alike.

Title: Millie
Author: McCall Hoyle
Publisher: Shadow Mountain Publishing
Published: March 2024
ISBN: 163993233X
Source: I received a review copy from the publisher. All opinions expressed are my own.
Purchase: Amazon | Deseret Book