The kids of Pancake Court are constructing a volcano from a giant mound of dirt, but right in the middle of the eruption Bean is called home. Her parents are going out and leaving her in the custody of her older sister, Nancy. The prospect of boring home confinement with her bossy nemesis as babysitter is grim, but Bean is equal to the challenge. When Ivy shows up, the girls find that exploring Bean’s mysterious attic and evading Nancy are just as exciting as making a volcano erupt. This fourth adventure of the pint-size duo with supersize imaginations is the strongest to date. Barrows and Blackall—who, like Eleanor Estes and Louis Slobodkin, make an inspired writer-artist team—have made the denizens of Pancake Court as delightful to visit as the Moffat family of Cranbury, Conn. Portrayed with clear-eyed affection and humor, Ivy and Bean are irresistible. Readers will look forward to the next installment of this series that celebrates the joys and thrills of friendship, unrestricted play and unfettered imagination. (Fiction. 6-10)
