by Alan Ritchie ‧ RELEASE DATE: March 1, 1990
In a book set in Atlantic Canada, Erin's math anxiety is entwined with her family's Financial woes. When Erin's mother loses her job as a cook in a gourmet deli because she can't take on certain additional responsibilities (e.g., pricing or indeed anything that requires math), Erin is utterly sympathetic: if she doesn't pull up her own math scores, she will have to repeat sixth grade. In desperation, Erin secretly takes a job with her mother's old employer in return for help with her math. Initially, the tutoring is a failure; then another employee takes over the teaching, and by the story's end Erin and her mother both have jobs at the deli. Genial and hard-working, Erin is a believable heroine whose school problems will be familiar to many readers. The unusual Halifax setting, an array of imperfect but likable adults, and a reasonable solution give this pleasant US debut by a Canadian author its punch.
Pub Date: March 1, 1990
ISBN: N/A
Page Count: 166
Publisher: Knopf
Review Posted Online: N/A
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 15, 1990
Categories: CHILDREN'S
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