Stanley

Ross, M.C. Stanley

September 1, 2026 by Scholastic Inc

E ARC provided by Edelweiss Plus

Stanley was born to be a service dog, and his siblings (all named after film directors), do a great job. Stanley, however, is constantly distracted, even though his mother tells him that this will not help him. When he is taken to a Boston Bruins hockey game, he finds himself headed towards a career change when he gets away from his handler because he is drawn to the sadness of young Charlie O'Donnell. Charlie and his mother have won tickets to the game, but Charlie is sad because he didn't make the Monumentals hockey team, and instead must play for the Bunkeroos, whom he considers to be beneath his skill level. Eventually, Charlie's mother arranges to adopt Stanely, and the group moves to Charlestown. Charlie realizes that Stanley is excellent at helping him train and do drills, and is also useful in winning over teammates. Charlie meets his idol, a Bruin player named Mads, at the park, and gets some insight: he's being a "rat" to his teammates, thinking he is better than them and offering them "helpful" advice, which doesn't go over all that well. Charlie apologizes, and the team begins to do better, but he falls back into his old ways. Stanley occasionally feels like he is failing his boy. When things become too stressful, Charlie and Stanley board the Orange Line and head to Jamaica Plain where they can train in peace... but run into a field hockey player they've seen around, Emily. Emily and her dog, Nugly, go to visit the zoo, where they meet Nugly's friend, a porcupine named Lucky, who seems to make everyone feel better. At the Mayor's Cup Final, the team seems to be doing better, but when they are given a hard time by the Shamrocks, a donnybrook ensues. Will Stanley be able to save the day when the team is sad? 
Strengths: Anytime a book is set in a very specific city, I enjoy all of the details of the location. I've only ever been in Boston in 1999 when the Big Dig was going on, so I always enjoy Ross' look at the city from a dog's viewpoint! Charlie will appeal to a lot of young sports players who will sheepishly see themselves in Charlie's "rat" like behavior. Being a know-it-all is very common for middle school students! There are plenty of hockey details about training, games, and other... hockey things. I've never seen a game and know nothing about the sport (other than what I read in the fantastic 2017 Sports Illustrated Hockey: Then to WOW! ), so I can't open on the authenticity, but it sounds right. Stanley is a great dog who wants to make Charlie happy. The balance between dog information about hockey minutiae is perfect. 
Weaknesses: There was a LOT of hockey details, which I didn't understand. This, however, will make it perfect for readers who love the sport and want to have frequent play-by-plays. While I can appreciate a good crossover story, I could have done without the inclusion of Lucky.
What I really think: This way more upbeat than Kadohata's fantastic but sad 2018 hockey/dog book, Checked and will be a hit with dog lovers and hockey lovers alike. Make sure that you request extra copies of this and other Ross titles like Smiley)  if you are having a Scholastic book fair.