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Forever Ripley

Told from the perspective of an old German Shepherd Dog, this deeply personal middle-grade story by award-winning novelist McCall Hoyle affirms the powerful and enduring relationship between dogs and humans.

Ripley has been trained to protect ever since she was a pup. As a German Shepherd Dog, she helped protect the wildlife refuge with Max, the best man Ripley has ever known. But that was before the accident. Before the pain of Max leaving. And before his last words: “Take care of the girls, Ripley.”

Ripley adores her girls, especially Charlie, more than anything, even peanut butter. But Ripley has been feeling the aches and pains that come with old age, and she knows her seasons are ending. Dogs do not have forever.

When the veterinarian confirms Ripley’s days are numbered, Charlie creates a bucket list to celebrate Ripley’s life, with ice cream in Nags Head, fried chicken from the Golden Skillet, and sandpiper chasing at the beach. In carrying out the bucket list, Ripley learns that though she can’t continue to protect her flock, she can love them into independence so Charlie can take care of herself, even in the face of bullies and trespassers who are threatening the wildlife refuge. And if Ripley can keep her promise, she just might be ready to leave her second great love, Charlie, to return to her first, Max.

Forever Ripley teaches important lessons about love, grief, growing into independence, and the peace that comes from having lived a flawed but loved-filled life.

Millie

From the author of Stella--nominated for fourteen Best Book of the Year state awards--this heartwarming story is about a street dog named Millie and a young girl who are both dealing with abandonment issues and must give trust and belonging a second chance.

​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 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.

Just Gus

Return to the world of devoted working dogs and the humans they love in a new book from the best-selling author of Stella.

A boy and his dog learn that they are better together.
​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. Wounded, Gus needs to rest and heal away from his sheep, so he doesn’t risk reinjuring his leg. Diego suggests Gus come home with them to the North Carolina coast.

Suddenly, Gus is thrust into a new world of saltwater and sand and neighbors who don’t appreciate the presence of a large guard dog, like the neighbor who reminds Gus of his first owner—the junkyard man with the heavy boots.

Gus realizes Diego might need a friend as much as his sheep need a protector, but if he can’t learn to control his instincts, like barking and patrolling the neighborhood, Gus might lose his chance to stay in his new home. If he can’t protect the farm or his boy, Gus worries he might never find his place in the world.

Just Gus is a tender story of belonging and of two friends who learn they are better together than they were alone.

​Stella

Ever since she was a puppy, Stella was trained to use her powerful beagle nose to sniff out dangerous chemicals and help her handler keep people safe. But during a routine security inspection, Stella misses the scent of an explosive. The sound of the blast is loud and scary. Unable to go back to work because of her anxiety, Stella is retired as a working dog.

When a young girl named Cloe wants to adopt Stella, the beagle knows this is her last chance to prove her worth. But how? When Stella smells a strange chemical inside Cloe's body, a scent that surges just before the girl has a seizure, Stella's nose makes the connection. But how can Stella warn her new family without them thinking she's having an anxiety attack? How can she convince others that she can be a new kind of service dog and hopefully save Cloe's life?

Even dogs deserve a second chance.

Meet the Sky:

​Seventeen-year-old Sophie wants to keep her fractured family together. She's all about sticking to a plan--keeping the family business running, saving money for college, and making sure her mom and sister don't endure another tragedy. Then a hurricane forms off the coast of the Outer Banks, and Sophie realizes nature is the one thing she can't control. To make matters worse, she's stranded in the middle of the storm with Finn, the boy who broke her heart freshman year. 

The Thing with Feathers:

​From Golden Heart award-winning author McCall Hoyle comes The Thing with Feathers, the story of sixteen-year-old Emilie Day, a girl with epilepsy leaving her safe, homeschooled life for high school on the Outer Banks of North Carolina. For the first time, Emilie must navigate classes, cliques, and crushes, all the while keeping her epilepsy a secret.