A Place to Call Home: Toby's Tale


Children - Preteen
302 Pages
Reviewed on 04/26/2014
Buy on Amazon

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Author Biography

Ms. Whitmore's passion for writing and her love of dogs come together in her series The Rescue Dog Tales. The first book in the series, A Place to Call Home, was inspired by Toby, an abused dog she adopted from the Connecticut Humane Society. Ms. Whitmore currently lives in Connecticut with her rescue dog Kadee.Ms. Whitmore's passion for writing and her love of dogs come together in her series The Rescue Dog Tales. The first book in the series, A Place to Call Home, was inspired by Toby, an abused dog she adopted from the Connecticut Humane Society. Ms. Whitmore currently lives in Connecticut with her rescue dog Kadee.Ms. Whitmore's passion for writing and her love of dogs come together in her series The Rescue Dog Tales. The first book in the series, A Place to Call Home, was inspired by Toby, an abused dog she adopted from the Connecticut Humane Society. Ms. Whitmore currently lives in Connecticut with her rescue dog Kadee.Ms. Whitmore's passion for writing and her love of dogs come together in her series The Rescue Dog Tales. The first book in the series, A Place to Call Home, was inspired by Toby, an abused dog she adopted from the Connecticut Humane Society. Ms. Whitmore currently lives in Connecticut with her rescue dog Kadee.Ms. Whitmore's passion for writing and her love of dogs come together in her series The Rescue Dog Tales. The first book in the series, A Place to Call Home, was inspired by Toby, an abused dog she adopted from the Connecticut Humane Society. Ms. Whitmore currently lives in Connecticut with her rescue dog Kadee.

    Book Review

Reviewed by Brenda Casto for Readers' Favorite

A Place To Call Home: Toby's Tale by G.A. Whitmore is the story of Toby, a dog born to a breeder who saw no value in him or his sister because of his color. The breeder felt because Tara and Toby were white German Shepherds that they would reflect poorly on his dog breeding business and wanted them both killed. Fate intervened instead and the pair found a chance at life. Sadly, Tara didn't make it but Toby winds up with a family in Connecticut. The home isn't peaceful, causing Toby to distrust most humans. Can Toby ever trust humans again, and will he ever find a place to truly call home?

Even though the author labels this a work of fiction, the characters become very real as you read the story. G.A. Whitmore writes from both canine as well as human perspective. While this might sound confusing, it isn't. Instead the author flawlessly transitions between characters which allowed me to glean a greater understanding of not only the story, but the characters as well. I was pulled right into the head and heart of each of the characters, especially Toby. I could feel his joy and hope as a young pup on the farm, and then the confusion and grief he felt as his life shifted. The many twists in Toby's story gripped my heart and caused me to shed more than a few tears, but also kept me filled with hope that he would eventually find his forever home.

Another unique aspect of this story was that the animals could communicate with each other, and Toby even had dreams where he was encouraged by family members. In a great read for young and old alike, Ms. Whitmore takes readers on an emotional journey with A Place To Call Home: Toby's Tale. Anyone who enjoys reading animal rescue stories will find this a must-read, but really there is much more to this story than that. The author touches on alcoholism, abuse, discrimination, as well as the importance of patience and not giving up. Truly a story that grabs the heart and won't let go!

Mamta Madhavan

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.

Lit Amri

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.

Bil Howard

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.