I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy from the Author. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
A Dog Named 647
by Nancy Kay
Published by Independently Published on August 29, 2025
Setting: Missouri
Genres: Middle Grade Action and Adventure
Pages: 212
Format: Hardcover, Kindle, Paperback
Source: the Author
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Get Your Copy at: Amazon
A dog on the run. A girl searching for connection. Together, they'll change each other's lives.
According to 12-year-old Mia, life is an epic fail. Her dad lives three states away with his new family, school is a nightmare, and worst of all, her mom is terrified of the one thing Mia wants most—a dog. But everything changes when Mia locks eyes with a runaway golden retriever, her belly swollen with puppies, running from a man with a rope. Horrified and helpless, Mia watches as he drags the dog away.
Determined to find her again, Mia and her quirky best friend launch a search that challenges their courage, tests their friendship, and uncovers a shocking truth—hundreds of dogs living in the cramped, filthy cages of a puppy mill.
It's no longer a matter of saving one dog; it's about rescuing them all. Throughout her risky adventures, Mia discovers the power of empathy and the power to make a difference in the lives of others as well as her own.
Fans of Fearless and Because of Winn Dixie will fall in love with this coming-of-age adventure story about friendship, perseverance, the messiness of family, and the strength of the human-animal bond. Ideal for classroom and library use including character themes of compassion, courage, friendship, and taking a stand for what one believes in.
A Dog Named 647 by Nancy Kay is a heartfelt middle grade adventure story about a young girl who helps a dog.
Can Mia get the dog back?
Mia
Mia is a young preteen who is still struggling with her parents’ divorce. To top it all off, she is dealing with the drama of being in a middle school that is far scarier than she thought it would be. Especially with the fact that, for as long as Mia can remember, she has always wanted a dog but can’t have one. She is very stubborn about saving the dog she found one day, and it is the only thing she can think about for days on end.
I got Mia’s mindset about wanting to help an animal in need and how hard it can be not to know how to help. I like her.
The Story
One day, while Mia was going to a lake to meet up with her only friend, Cassie, she encountered a pregnant dog. The dog ends up getting taken away, but thoughts of her couldn’t get out of Mia’s head. She and Cassie end up doing a lot of things that not even a preteen, at least not when I was one, could imagine doing. All the while navigating middle school and all the drama that comes with it for any girl who stands out.
Five Stars
My rating for A Dog Named 647 by Nancy Kay is 5 stars, and I recommend it. Ms. Kay evoked many feelings in me as I read the book. I love those types of books. Ms. Kay’s book is also the first one that I encountered for middle graders on puppy mills.
Thank you for dropping by! I hope you enjoyed this review of A Dog Named 647 by Nancy Kay.
Until the next time,
Happy Reading!
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About Nancy Kay
DR. NANCY KAY emerged from the womb loving animals, and by the time she was 10 years old, she knew she wanted to become a veterinarian. She received her veterinary degree at Cornell completed her internal medicine residency and specialty training at the UC Davis. She’s practiced small animal internal medicine for over 40 years.
She took to the pen in 2008 with her first book, Speaking for Spot: Be the Advocate Your Dog Needs to Live a Happy, Healthy, Longer Life. The book was an Amazon best seller and was featured twice on the National Public Radio show, Fresh Air with Terry Gross.
In 2008, Nancy was selected to receive the Leo K. Bustad Companion Animal Veterinarian of the Year, an award presented every year by the American Veterinary Medical Association to a veterinarian whose work exemplifies and promotes the human animal bond.
She was also selected by the American Animal Hospital Association to receive the annual Hill’s Animal Welfare and Humane Ethics Award. This is presented to a veterinarian who has advanced animal welfare through extraordinary service or by furthering humane principles, education, and understanding.
Nancy has just launched her newest book, A Dog Named 647 featuring a Nancy Drew-like, 12-year-old and a runaway puppy mill dog.
Reading this book contributed to these challenges:
- 2026 Goodreads RC
- 2026 Middle Grade Reading Challenge
- 2026 Traveling the World
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