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Expected 4 Aug 26Perfect for fans of Because of Winn-Dixie and Homeward Bound—a moving adventure full of courage, resilience, and the unbreakable bond between dogs and their humans.
Nando may have started life as the runt of the litter, but he’s grown into a loyal, hardworking border collie that takes his job—and his family—seriously. He believes that the only way to keep his place on the farm and in the heart of his human, Esperanza, is to maintain perfection in all his responsibilities—and nothing less.
But when a tropical storm turns the creek by the farm into a raging river and scatters Cloe, Nando's favorite young human; Stella, a friendly beagle; Oscar, the farm's annoying cat; and Nando himself, Nando learns the hard truth: He can’t control everything.
Stranded far from home, Nando is rescued by Levi, a boy with a brave heart and a gift for seeing good in others, who was also displaced by the storm. Nando and Levi are both trying to get back home, but when Levi leashes Nando, he leaves the independent herding dog with little choice but to stick with him. As they face rising waters, dangerous terrain, and the uncertainty of finding their way back, Levi offers Nando courage, friendship, and love, teaching Nando that he doesn’t have to be perfect to be loved and accepted.
Nando may have started life as the runt of the litter, but he’s grown into a loyal, hardworking border collie that takes his job—and his family—seriously. He believes that the only way to keep his place on the farm and in the heart of his human, Esperanza, is to maintain perfection in all his responsibilities—and nothing less.
But when a tropical storm turns the creek by the farm into a raging river and scatters Cloe, Nando's favorite young human; Stella, a friendly beagle; Oscar, the farm's annoying cat; and Nando himself, Nando learns the hard truth: He can’t control everything.
Stranded far from home, Nando is rescued by Levi, a boy with a brave heart and a gift for seeing good in others, who was also displaced by the storm. Nando and Levi are both trying to get back home, but when Levi leashes Nando, he leaves the independent herding dog with little choice but to stick with him. As they face rising waters, dangerous terrain, and the uncertainty of finding their way back, Levi offers Nando courage, friendship, and love, teaching Nando that he doesn’t have to be perfect to be loved and accepted.
176 pages, Hardcover
Expected publication August 4, 2026
About the author
McCall Hoyle
7 books395 followersMcCall Hoyle lives in the foothills of the North Georgia Mountains with her husband, children, and an odd assortment of pets. She is a middle school librarian and teacher. When she's not reading, writing, or teaching, she's probably training one of many dogs. You can learn more about her at mccallhoyle.com.
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
February 17, 2026
This 4th installment in McCall Hoyle’s warm and wonderful Best Friends dog series is filled with characters from the previous titles plus new neighbors to mix it up and add some freshness. Esperanza’s herding sheepdog, Nando, is the featured canine and when a torrential storm hits he must head out to search for Cloe and Stella, but is thrust into a natural disaster that challenges his confidence and forces him to depend on someone else for help.
Hoyle quickly moves from establishing the setting of Esperanza’s sheep farm and reminding readers about her daughter Cloe and her ever-present medical support dog Stella. News of a coming storm has all of them preparing for the near hurricane force winds and rain that are on the way and sends Cloe and Stella out into the inclement weather in search of grouchy barn cat Oscar. Even though Esperanza had already directed the normally obedient Nando to “stay,” the greater call to protect leads him to follow in order to lead them all back to the safety of home. The bulk of the remaining pages are filled with the disastrous consequences of the storm, rising river and the mutually beneficial discovery of new to the area Levi and their partnership in finding safety as well as Cloe and Oscar.
Coming in at well under 200 pages, the plot moves rapidly and will keep readers on the edge of their seats as Levi and Nando develop genuine affection for one another and Nando wrestles with his deeply ingrained working dog mentality and his growing bond to someone who isn’t Esperanza or even Cloe. The first person Nando-perspective feels authentic and while none of truly know what is going inside our dogs’ minds, those who own dogs will hope their companions feel that strongly towards them and those who don’t may wish they did! As with other Hoyle titles, there are changes in the main characters that stem directly from the action in the story and provide ample opportunity for character study. To facilitate lit circle or whole class book study, Hoyle provides thoughtful discussion questions at the end that consistently ask readers to use textual support for their answers and that evidence is readily present in the details both directly and by using inferences stemming from what is there in black and white. While not a highly illustrated novel, there are sketches sprinkled into significant plot points.
Recommended titled for collections serving grades 3-6, especially in ones with highly circulated animal titles such as Applegate’s “Ivan” series, Gemeinhart’s Good Dog, Tubbs’ Daisy, Zeus and Luna books and older Because of Winn Dixie or Shiloh titles.
Profanity: none
Sexual content: none
Violence: only that of nature
Representation: Dogs don’t care about skin color, ethnic backgrounds or gender identification issues so very little is included to firmly place characters into any particular group altho the illustrations do lean towards a Caucasian default but I seem to remember from earlier books in the series that Esperanza has a Hispanic background.
Thanks for the eARC, Edelweiss and Shadow Mountain Press.
Hoyle quickly moves from establishing the setting of Esperanza’s sheep farm and reminding readers about her daughter Cloe and her ever-present medical support dog Stella. News of a coming storm has all of them preparing for the near hurricane force winds and rain that are on the way and sends Cloe and Stella out into the inclement weather in search of grouchy barn cat Oscar. Even though Esperanza had already directed the normally obedient Nando to “stay,” the greater call to protect leads him to follow in order to lead them all back to the safety of home. The bulk of the remaining pages are filled with the disastrous consequences of the storm, rising river and the mutually beneficial discovery of new to the area Levi and their partnership in finding safety as well as Cloe and Oscar.
Coming in at well under 200 pages, the plot moves rapidly and will keep readers on the edge of their seats as Levi and Nando develop genuine affection for one another and Nando wrestles with his deeply ingrained working dog mentality and his growing bond to someone who isn’t Esperanza or even Cloe. The first person Nando-perspective feels authentic and while none of truly know what is going inside our dogs’ minds, those who own dogs will hope their companions feel that strongly towards them and those who don’t may wish they did! As with other Hoyle titles, there are changes in the main characters that stem directly from the action in the story and provide ample opportunity for character study. To facilitate lit circle or whole class book study, Hoyle provides thoughtful discussion questions at the end that consistently ask readers to use textual support for their answers and that evidence is readily present in the details both directly and by using inferences stemming from what is there in black and white. While not a highly illustrated novel, there are sketches sprinkled into significant plot points.
Recommended titled for collections serving grades 3-6, especially in ones with highly circulated animal titles such as Applegate’s “Ivan” series, Gemeinhart’s Good Dog, Tubbs’ Daisy, Zeus and Luna books and older Because of Winn Dixie or Shiloh titles.
Profanity: none
Sexual content: none
Violence: only that of nature
Representation: Dogs don’t care about skin color, ethnic backgrounds or gender identification issues so very little is included to firmly place characters into any particular group altho the illustrations do lean towards a Caucasian default but I seem to remember from earlier books in the series that Esperanza has a Hispanic background.
Thanks for the eARC, Edelweiss and Shadow Mountain Press.
Review of advance copy received from Publisher
All the characters are back, along with some new ones! Nando gets lost in the woods during a terrible storm and meets a new neighbor, Levi. They develop a bond that gets stronger as they try to hep each other get back home. But is it okay for Nando to love someone else as much as he loves Esperanza? What is a good dog supposed to do? As things on the farm begin to change, Nando might just be changing too.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews