Honey

Honey (2015) is a middle grade children’s novel by Sarah Weeks. The story follows fifth-grader Melody Bishop as she quests to uncover the mystery of who her father has been calling “Honey” over the phone. The novel explores themes of gossip, family secrets, and grief as Melody finds answers to her past and her present. Honey is a follow-up, but not a direct sequel, to Weeks’s 2011 children’s novel, Pie.

This guide is based on the 2020 Scholastic paperback edition.

Content Warning: The source material and this guide feature depictions of parent death and childhood grief.

Plot Summary

Melody Bishop is certain something is up with her father, who has been absent-mindedly burning dinners and whistling “You Are My Sunshine” for several weeks now. Melody’s mother died in childbirth, so it’s always been just Melody and her father. Melody doesn’t know much about her mother because her father won’t talk about her, so the subject isn’t sensitive for Melody, even when the neighbor girl, Teeny, makes blunt comments about it.

One day, at the grocery store, a strange woman approaches Melody, seemingly recognizing her. She is an old friend of Melody’s mother’s, who says Melody looks just like her. Melody and her father are both uncomfortable during the encounter. Melody wonders if she really looks like her mother.

Melody’s suspicions that her father might be seeing someone are confirmed when she overhears him call someone “honey” over the phone. Her father leaves for a camping trip, leaving Melody in her grandfather’s care. While Melody is pulling dandelions in the yard, Teeny climbs through the fence to tell Melody about her morning at the Bee Hive salon, where she overheard many tidbits of town gossip. Teeny repeats these tidbits, including one about someone named Henry being “bitten by the love bug.” Melody is certain Teeny is referring to her father because he’s the only Henry in town. With the help of her best friend, Nick, Melody goes to investigate the Bee Hive.

The Bee Hive is a new salon in Royal, Indiana. The owner, Bee-Bee Churchill, realized her dream of opening her own salon after winning the lottery. She bought the old Frosty Boy ice cream parlor and converted it into a bee-themed salon, using the old sprinkle bowl as a candy bowl for clients. Bee-Bee’s dog, Mo, hangs out in the attached apartment all day while Bee-Bee runs her business.

Mo wasn’t always Bee-Bee’s. He recalls going home with his first family and how happy he was. He remembers his shiny, heart-shaped pendant. Then one day, something happened, and Mo didn’t see his family all day. He went to live with Bee-Bee shortly after and lost his pendant. Mo still thinks about his first family and wonders what happened to them. He has recurring dreams about being claimed by a girl with long yellow hair.

On the way to the Bee Hive, Nick speculates that Melody’s father is hiding his relationship because he’s seeing someone Melody doesn’t like. When they reach the Bee Hive, they catch their teacher, Miss Hogan, walking in, whistling “You Are My Sunshine.” Melody and Nick both despise Miss Hogan, as she’s stern and unfair, especially compared to their excellent teacher last year, Mrs. McKenna. Nick and Melody stake out the Bee Hive, eavesdropping through the window. They overhear Miss Hogan saying that she’s getting married soon and that neither of their families knows yet. Melody is certain this means Miss Hogan is about to marry her father, which upsets her.

Teeny shows up. She wants to go back inside for more candy, but Melody and Nick hold her back. Teeny escapes their grasp and goes inside. She alerts Bee-Bee to the kids in the window, so Bee-Bee steps outside to invite Melody and Nick inside. Bee-Bee seems to recognize Melody, but Melody doesn’t know Bee-Bee. Miss Hogan demands to know why her students have followed her to the Bee Hive. Teeny slips and shatters the candy bowl. She blames Melody for tripping her, and Miss Hogan takes Teeny’s side, accusing Melody of lying when she denies pushing Teeny. Melody lashes out and yells at Miss Hogan for hiding her marriage. Miss Hogan leaves, promising to tell Melody’s father about her behavior.

When Melody, Nick, and Teeny are getting ready to leave, Bee-Bee stops Melody and invites her to stay longer. Bee-Bee was Melody’s mother’s childhood best friend, and she wants to talk to Melody about her late mother. Bee-Bee shows Melody a Time magazine cover featuring her mother, who was a child prodigy at the piano and went on to great fame before settling back down in Royal, Indiana. Melody is surprised to hear things about her mother, such as her sense of humor. Melody asks about her mother’s death and funeral. It’s a hard topic for Bee-Bee, but she tells Melody what she knows.

Melody goes home feeling distraught about her father dating Miss Hogan and full of newfound grief about her mother. That night, she goes to sleep in the music room—a room no one really goes in since her mother’s death. In the morning, Melody finds a tape recording of her mother playing Brahms while heavily pregnant with Melody. Melody feels she already knows the song. She hears her mother’s voice for the first time. She listens to the tape several more times, alone in her grandfather’s car, until Mrs. McKenna drives by and stops to make sure Melody is okay.

Melody confides in her former teacher that she misses her mother. Mrs. McKenna comforts Melody. She’s on her way to the Bee Hive to get her nails done and invites Melody to join. Melody has a great time with Bee-Bee and Mrs. McKenna, but when Mrs. McKenna drops her off, all she can think about is how her father is marrying Miss Hogan and how she’ll never know her mother.

Melody goes inside to find her father’s camping trip has ended early. She confronts him about keeping his relationship from her and scolds him for dating her teacher. Melody’s father is confused that Melody is upset, until he realizes she thinks he’s dating Miss Hogan. He clarifies that he’s actually dating Mrs. McKenna. Melody is delighted. 

Melody tells her father about listening to the tape. She explains that she needs to know her mother. Her father agrees to bring down her mother’s old things from the attic so they can go through them. That night, he also retrieves a box with a heart-shaped pendant inside.

The next day, Melody finds an old fishbowl in the garage and plans to bring it to Bee-Bee to replace the bowl that Teeny broke. Teeny informs Melody that the Henry who was “bitten by the love bug” was an orange cat who lives near the Bee Hive (30). He’s fathered a litter of kittens.

Melody brings the bowl to the Bee Hive and tells Bee-Bee the good news about her father and Mrs. McKenna. Melody’s father shows up shortly after with the silver pendant. He sits Melody down and tells her about Mo, the dog Melody’s mother insisted on adopting just a month before Melody was born. When Melody’s mother died, Melody’s father realized he couldn’t handle a puppy and a newborn alone, so he sent Mo to live with Bee-Bee. It was supposed to be just for a short time, but he ended up staying until the present day. With Bee-Bee’s blessing, Melody goes to see Mo and gives him his pendant back. She and her father take Mo home to where he rightfully belongs.