Review Detail

Hazel and her mother Jory came from Chicago to take care of her grandmother who had just had a heart attack in Hazel Helps Out. The two are pitching in to help with the doggy day care that the grandmother runs, but Hazel is also enrolled in a writing class her grandmother wanted her to take. She's not very enthusiastic about it, since it focuses on newspaper writing, and she would rather turn her talents to fantasy fiction. She does meet another girl, Anjali, who has an older dog like Hazel's own Spot. Hazel, along with KC (who uses they/them pronouns) and Jonah (who are the children of Jory's best friend, Mallory), have asked if they can have an "old dog's club" so that dogs like Spot can hang out with other dogs who are the same age and energy level. Even though the grandmother is generally rather crabby, she agrees, and gives the children a room in the converted barn to set up for the older dogs. Hazel would love to have Anjali help out, and bring her dog, but her grandmother says she won't allow it, since she doesn't know the pair. Hazel tells Anjali this on the phone, and Anjali is okay with it, even asking Hazel to come to her house after writing class. Since Hazel is planning on ditching the class, she doesn't handle the request well. There are some wrinkles in the new dog group, with Spot not getting along with Muffin, and Hazel lets her emotions get the better of her, especially when her grandmother starts making plans for working with KC and Jonah after Hazel returns to Chicago. Will Hazel be able to have an honest conversation with her mother about her feelings?