A Guard Dog Named Honey

Gr 4-7–Bean has had a hard life so far. Her dad abandoned his family years ago, and her mother has become the sole provider, which means she is never home. And to top it off, her brother gets arrested for stealing a car. Paying the $1,000 bail is a momentous hurdle that Bean feels determined to overcome. But she lives on an island off the coast of Massachusetts, where opportunities to make money are very slim. In her mission to earn the bail, she tries everything from applying for summer jobs to offering to paint vacation homes. It’s at one of those mansions that Bean meets Phoebe and her giant guard dog, Honey. Phoebe’s own parents are similarly absent as they jet-set around the world, leaving Phoebe in the care of an unusual chef-turned-nanny and, of course, Honey. Phoebe and Honey end up taking care of Bean in her brother’s absence, as Bean is extremely lost without him. Somehow Bean ends up talking Phoebe into selling Honey. However, once the girls figure out that the prospective buyer is in the dog-fighting world, the girls vow to bring the bad guys to justice. These characters are lovingly crafted and spunky, with Honey stealing the show. Bean’s motivation is convincing, and her ideas are age appropriate.