To earn money for a clubhouse where she and her friends can meet outside her crowded home, fifth grader Piper Reed sets herself up as a party planner, substitutes for her babysitting older sister and illustrates her younger sister’s book. Not surprisingly, it doesn’t turn out the way she imagines. Fans of the series will recognize Piper’s family and friends, but new readers can just as easily begin with this third volume. They will recognize her disappointment when the school year begins and she finds herself in the same old classroom, sympathize with her frustration when the only person left for the important biography report is Cyrus McCormick (someone even the librarian has never heard of) and admire the way she almost manages to juggle all her looming deadlines. Although the siblings have the usual disagreements, this is a warm and supportive Navy family, and Piper’s friends, the Gypsy Club, work well together. This is another successful entry in what has become a solid chapter-book series. (Fiction. 8-10)
