MILLIE

A street dog learns to trust humans in Hoyle’s middle-grade novel.

Life hasn’t been easy for a stray border terrier separated from her mother and siblings. The humans who took her in abandoned her, and Big Guy, the canine who taught her how to survive on the streets, has never returned from his food hunt. Now the terrier cares for another stray, Little Pup; the two of them make a home in an alley behind a bakery. But she can’t evade “the dogcatcher” forever, and she winds up alone in an animal shelter. Fortunately, teacher and dog trainer Lee Berry adopts her and names her Millie. The ever-wary former street dog adjusts to her new life and an array of new smells, slowly warming up to Lee and Lee’s lovable golden retriever, Bella. While Millie hopes to one day reunite with Big Guy and Little Pup, she’s also happy to run into Tori Smallwood, the bakery owner’s young granddaughter, who had shown her four-legged alley neighbors nothing but kindness. Hoyle’s canine hero narrates this sentimental tale. Although Millie understands most of what humans say and do, her reliance on scents aptly showcases her distinctive dogginess. That nose of hers, for example, instantly picks up strangers before they’re in sight, and Tori emits a welcome and familiar “perfume of bread.” Even with the harshness Millie endures, this upbeat story zeroes in on the positives; Millie and Little Pup may be living outside in the dead of winter, but that doesn’t stop the puppy from playing in the snow. Readers truly see things through Millie’s eyes, from the reasons she’s extra cautious around certain humans to the odorous “message” she leaves Little Pup. Not surprisingly, each of Keele’s crisp, beautifully shaded black-and-white illustrations features Millie in her small but sturdy form, flaunting an irresistible beard.

A marvelous, tenderhearted tale featuring a charming and cuddly terrier protagonist.