Bean-s 16-year-old brother, Willis, gets arrested on her 11th birthday for drunkenly crashing someone else-s car. When her single mother, who works at the Stop & Shop, says they don-t have enough to bail him out, the girl-whose worries bring on hives and vertigo-decides to earn the money herself. Heading to the wealthy section of Rock Haven, the Massachusetts island where she-s lived her whole life, she looks for a summer family to hire her for odd jobs. When no one bites, Bean sets her sights on Phoebe, a wealthy girl who is staying for the summer with her nanny and dog, Honey, while her parents tour Europe. When Phoebe discloses that Honey, an Italian Neapolitan mastiff, is a purebred worth $3,000, Bean persuades the child, whose parents consistently let her down, to sell the dog. Bean finds a shady buyer, and a related mystery, just as Honey adopts three baby kittens, nursing them and carrying them in her jowls. Bean-s believable desperation to help her brother is poignant in this empathic story featuring well-wrought characters who are trying their very best. Ages 8-12. (Mar.)

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. VERDICT An engaging realistic fiction title for the target audience. A solid purchase for young middle school libraries. Amy Caldera, Dripping Springs Middle School, TX