Stella is a good dog. She has been trained by her handler Connie to sniff out explosives in airports. Stella has saved lives, and has a very important job. One day, though, she fails to alert Connie of a bomb, and there is an enormous explosion. Connie is killed, but Stella survives. She is not the same after that, though - she has PTSD. Terrified of all noises, confused, and out of work, Stella moves through foster homes quickly. No one is able to keep her. That is until Cloe comes around - a little girl with a strange metallic smell. Soon, Stella realizes that she has a new responsibility. Cloe has epilepsy, and Stella can smell when a seizure is going to happen. But how can Stella alert Cloe's family of the coming seizures when they all just think she is having a panic attack?
AGE RANGE INTERMEDIATE
THEMES
Dogs
Animal perspective
Epilepsy
Working dogs
OVERALL RATING 7/10
Stella is a pretty good book. I found it very interesting to read a book written from a dogs perspective. It was sort of irritating, though, because as humans, we have no idea if the book is accurately depicting dogs! I think it was a little bit too simplistic in the way Stella's thoughts were represented. It was an interesting read, though, and a very sweet story.
PROS
From a dog's perspective
Represents disability
Sweet
CONS
Dog's thoughts are pretty simplistic
The villains (to boys) are extremely mean for no known reason