A GUARD DOG NAMED HONEY

Bean’s determined to raise the money to bail her beloved older brother, Willis, out of jail, but her schemes seem doomed to failure.

On this island off the coast of Massachusetts, the opportunities to raise $1,000 in bail money are seriously limited. But plucky Bean is determined to find a way. It’s that mission that motivates her to befriend 9-year-old Phoebe. She’s been left by her wealthy but distant parents in the care of the unusual chef-turned-nanny Edwin and, more importantly, Honey, a huge young mastiff. Initially, Bean is skeptical of the whole crew, merely currying their favor in order to make money by—she hopes—painting their house. Unexpectedly, Phoebe and Honey take up the slack for the 11-year-old, who is bereft without Willis. Although Bean talks Phoebe into agreeing to sell Honey, she quickly has sobering second thoughts. After Bean realizes the prospective buyer is involved in the dogfighting world, the two girls, full of spunk but a little short of wisdom, resolve to bring the bad guy to justice. The apparently white characters are lovingly crafted and richly nuanced, although drooly, ever loyal Honey almost steals the show. Bean’s motivation is fully convincing, and her heartfelt but somewhat scatterbrained plans are age appropriate as she tries to fix too many hard issues with a believable lack of adult help.

Richly engaging and evocative.