A Place to Call Home: Toby's Tale by G.A. Whitmore is for those who love dogs and love to read stories about them being rescued from abuse. Toby is a white German Shepherd who is part wolf and is a rare breed. Toby lives on the Bailey Farm and he and his sister are not able to satisfy their breeder's idea of making a profit with their rare white wolf fur. He wants to destroy them but the breeder's wife is compassionate and sends these two pups with a farmhand to another shelter. But the farmhand is forced to leave the puppies in a box next to a dumpster on the way. A family of four finds these abandoned dogs and takes them home. The book, told from both Toby's and the humans' point of view, throws light on the story where both angles are shown to readers. It is a story of joy, sorrow, courage, fear, love, and redemption.

The book speaks about how to take care of your pets and bond with them, especially since dogs are known to be man's best friend. The story is poignant and will make readers shed some tears. The book is good for middle school children because it will teach them about bonding with pets and how to treat them well with love and care. Toby's story should be read by all dog owners and dog lovers because it speaks of a dog's angst and sorrow and finally how he finds love.

In A Place to Call Home: Toby's Tale by G.A. Whitmore, we follow the story of Toby, a white German shepherd who is part wolf, born in a Northern California farm where he barely escaped the death sentence by his breeder. From there, his story takes us on a journey across to a Connecticut suburb, where he found temporary happiness with a loving family before it is harshly ruined. Toby has to learn to trust humans again, enduring grief, trepidation, and bravery before finding love once more.

The main basis of A Place to Call Home is about dog rescue and finding a loving family, although the story does touch on a bit of everything from prejudice, growing up, redemption, and most importantly, trust. The uniqueness of this book compared to the ones with similar themes that I have read before is the well-written communication between animals. Thus, both animal and human perspectives are reflected. This makes the story mind-challenging as well as engaging. It will no doubt leave readers to ponder deeply about the relationship between man’s best friend and people.

Anyone, not just dog lovers, will definitely love this story and be truly inspired by it. The faultless writing style and great flow of the story makes it easy to finish the book in one sitting. Despite the sadness regarding some animal deaths and tragedy, I enjoyed it and I think it would be a great gift for young teen readers. They can learn valuable lessons in how to treat animals humanely from Toby’s story. All things considered, this an excellent work from G.A. Whitmore.

Imagine the stories that dogs could tell us if they could talk. What history is behind them and what sorts of things have they experienced? A Place to Call Home: Toby’s Tale by G.A. Whitmore allows us a look inside the mind of a rescue dog named Toby. The book takes us from the story of the white wolf Strider in Toby's ancestry to the day that he and his sister are rejected by their breeder and sentenced to death; and how he and his sister escaped being drowned in a canal and were given a new home with a little boy and little girl to play with. Toby’s hope for both of them is crushed as Tara is attacked by a Doberman and dies on their way to Connecticut. In Connecticut, everything seems wonderful and Toby’s new family gives him plenty of love and happiness, though a part of him still misses the farm and his sister. When things turn suddenly bad, Toby’s happiness turns to confusion. What happened to the love and happiness?

A Place to Call Home: Toby’s Tale shows us both sides of what is going on in the life of our pets. By alternating the story between Toby’s point of view and the human point of view, G.A. Whitmore helps us to understand how each thing that we do is seen and interpreted by our pets. Through the eyes of Toby, we are drawn to a deep emotional attachment to the innocent world that is seen through the eyes of a puppy and a dog. In contrast, the reader is placed in something of a judgment seat to examine the actions of the humans in the story. Simple yet profound, tragic but triumphant, A Place to Call Home: Toby’s Tale is a reminder to us that every dog and every pet deserves to have a happy, loving home and we can give them that if we are more aware of how our actions affect them.