Showing results by author "McCall Hoyle" in All Categories

Ripley, an aging German Shepherd Dog, spent her life guarding the wildlife refuge with Max, the best man she’s ever known. But that was before the accident, before he gave her one final job: “Take care of the girls.” And Ripley has done just that—especially for Charlie, the girl Ripley loves even more than peanut butter. Ripley watches over Charlie with dedication, especially when faced with bullies who threaten the refuge. But Ripley is slowing down. She knows dogs don’t last forever.

Emilie Day believes in playing it safe: She's homeschooled, her best friend is her seizure dog, and she's probably the only girl on the Outer Banks of North Carolina who can't swim. Then Emilie's mom enrolls her in public school, and Emilie goes from studying at home in her pj's to halls full of strangers. To make matters worse, Emilie is paired with starting point guard Chatham York for a major research project on Emily Dickinson. She should be ecstatic when Chatham shows interest, but she has a problem. She hasn't told anyone about her epilepsy.

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 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.

Gus is a livestock guardian dog with one job—protecting his farm from coyotes and foxes. He likes keeping the sheep, the chickens, and his humans safe, and he’s very good at it. One day, Diego and his dad come to visit the farm, and Gus immediately connects to the small boy. They both like to sit still and enjoy the quiet, and Gus can tell that Diego likes being around a gentle giant of a dog, that it helps relieve the boy’s constant worry. When Gus detects the scent of a bear in the woods, he rushes to protect his flock, injuring his leg in a fight with the dangerous beast.

From author McCall Hoyle comes a new young adult novel, Meet the Sky, a story of love, letting go, and the unstoppable power of nature. It all started with the accident. The one that caused Sophie’s dad to walk out of her life. With nothing but pain in her past, all Sophie wants is to plan for the future - keep the family business running and protect her mom and sister from another disaster. But when a hurricane threatens her home on the Outer Banks, Sophie winds up trapped on the island with Finn Sanders, the one person who could show her how to love and live life again.

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.