I love border collies so much, that I was very excited for this book to come out. I like horses, so that could be another reason I was eager to read this book.
Stella, raised on a farm that bred border collies destined for herding animals, mistakenly attended an L.G.D. sale and was adopted by a teen boy named Mateo Soltelo. However, his brother Bart disapproved of the decision due to Stella’s monkey-like behavior. Despite being a border collie, Mateo’s father disapproved of Stella’s age and her inability to herd sheep. After Mateo showed Stella around the ranch, he and his family planned on selling the ranch or relocating with Aunt Elken in Texas. Mateo, Bart, and Finn brainstormed various ways to save the farm. Stella attempted to spend the night with her new canine companions, Louise, Nix, Baron, and Scoop, but her fear of potential harm as a puppy held her back. Mateo taught Stella her herding skills and introduced her to a lamb named Mabel. While Stella tried to befriend Mabel, her border collie instincts led her to almost get kicked over by the lamb, as border collies were originally bred to herd cattle, not sheep. As Stella and Mateo continued their training, Bart interrupted their efforts by having fun riding his new ATV, which disrupted the sheep and cattle. During dinner, the boys discussed the negative impact of modern technology on the environment and animals. They also acknowledged Stella’s aging and her eventual transformation into a large border collie, fulfilling her breed’s purpose. Mateo expressed his desire for a peer group and realized that attending school in person was superior to homeschooling. Duece visited the ranch for a while, and they practiced herding sheep together. Additionally, the ranch anticipated the arrival of new Dongola Horses in a few months. Mateo and his family embarked on camping trips and enjoyed swimming in a lake with their dogs, except for Stella, who was still progressing at her own pace towards becoming a mature guardian dog. Mateo and the dogs went camping again but this time Stella and Baron found other wild animals including wolves. Mateo’s dad had to travel to Houston for a funeral so the boys were left in charge. Bart received a toy drone on the mail and thought it would be useful for herding sheep with than using Stella, the very innocent border collie. The recent shipment of Dongola Horses has arrived and Stella was very eager to make friends with them. Mateo and Finn went out tractor driving and they got amazing news that Julia was coming to live with them. When Julia arrived, she was already feeling homesick, so Stella tried her best to make her feel welcome. After Julia moved in, Stella started to feel lonely at night, but then a horse named Eddie kept her company. Then there was a sudden grass fire that the teens had to put out. They used all the firefighting techniques they knew to do so. Stella noticed that the sheep and the horses escaped their pens and wrecked havoc all over the house. Eddie the horse was having so much fun playing with the light switch and Stella, Bart, and Finn had a barbecue in their backyard. Stella was feeling lonely again, so she decided to venture out into the woods only for Baron to find her and take her back to the ranch. Mateo and Julia went out hiking and they found a lot of knapweeds on the trail. After Uncle Warner punished the teenagers, Mateo and Julia started arguing about their futures and wishing they could change each other’s minds. Blackie the horse died from Fainting Horse Syndrome and Stella wanted to tell Mateo and Julia about it, but they didn’t. Julia was in her senior year of high school but Mateo has gotten so used to homeschooling. Stella’s mouth started hurting, but Mateo was going to take her to the vet once he got back from Oregon. Stella went to the vet and found out that the cause of her pain was a wisdom tooth coming out. Stella was so happy to see her siblings Noodles, Wiggles, and Rory again, only to find out they became a little obese and extra hairy. Stella was sent to live with Ezra for a few days similar to how Deuce lived with Stella and the guardian dogs. Stella went into a dark forest trying to get home, but she almost got attacked by wolves. Julia declared that Warner was going to sell the horses next, but they'd much rather keep working to raise money and keep the ranch. A flood was coming and Julia broke her ankle on the Raging River rocks. The teens worked together to get the horses across the river, but Stella couldn’t do it because she was afraid of swimming. Mateo helped Stella get to the other side but then after that the wolves were coming. So Stella, the horses, and the LGD pack (consisting of Nix, Louise, Scoop, and Baron), all worked together to scare the wolf pack away. Mateo and the horses had to walk home with the guardian dog pack after Bart took Julia to the hospital. Warner finally made the decision to keep the family ranch and Julia has gotten used to the country life, but she wasn’t going to join the Marines anymore. And Stella and her family lived happily ever after.
I have really enjoyed this book. Because it's about a border collie, It reminisced me of another book about the breed, "El Increíble Mundo de Llanca" which is children's book from Chile about a border collie and her adventures, which is why Chileans love border collies so much. This book would be perfect for fans of border collies and horses.