Girl Scouts: Anika and the Great Dog Rescue

A fun-and-friendship-filled follow-up to Maven Takes the Lead in the must-read middle grade series from Girl Scouts of the USA, starring a group of fifth graders who love making the world a better place. This novel written by New York Times bestselling author Sayantani DasGupta is perfect for fans of The Baby-Sitters Club and American Girl's Girl of the Year series.

Anika loves animals.

She loves bird-watching in her backyard, volunteering at the animal shelter with her Girl Scout troop, and caring for her elderly neighbor's parrot. Anika wants a pet, but her parents have a long list of reasons to say no, including that they aren't sure Anika is up for the responsibility.

When Anika discovers a stray dog in her neighbor's backyard, she decides to take charge all on her own. Between friend fights at school and her mom working harder than ever, Anika could use the distraction. This is something she wants to handle herself. But then the pup doesn't show up for a few days and Anika is worried something is wrong. With time running out, it's up to Anika to build a web of support strong enough to bring the dog to safety.

Look out for more incredible middle grade books from Girl Scouts:

Maven Takes the Lead, the first book in this Girl Scout Novel series, available now!The Ultimate Friendship Journal, available now!Take Action: You Can Make the World a Better Place, coming Fall 2025

Sayantani DasGupta is the New York Times bestselling author of the Kiranmala and the Kingdom Beyond middle grade fantasy series, which includes The Serpent's Secret, Game of Stars, and The Chaos Curse. She is also the author of She Persisted: Virginia Apgar and a freestanding Kingdom Beyond novel, Force of Fire. She's a pediatrician by training but now teaches narrative medicine at Columbia University. When she's not writing, reading, or teaching, she spends time watching cooking shows with her trilingual children and protecting her dog, Khushi, from the many things that scare him, including plastic bags.

Girl Scouts build a better world and bring their dreams to life. They discover their strengths and rise to meet new challenges--whether that means climbing to the top of a tree or the top of their class, lacing up their boots for a hike, advocating for climate justice, or making their first best friends. They are finding their voices and making a difference on the issues most important to them, with the support of a community of millions from coast to coast and around the world.