NOT AT HOME?

by Bernice Myers ‧ RELEASE DATE: Feb. 16, 1981

Two best friends have a misunderstanding, become ex-best friends (best line in book), discover the misunderstanding, and make up. But as rudimentary and predictable as the plot is, the pieces don't really click--partly on account of the illustrations. Narrator Sally is repeatedly waylaid by an oldish lady, Mrs. Allen, who can only be a neighbor (since she isn't a relative); but she keeps popping out of what appears to be another room in the same large house. When Sally is disappointed because best-friend Lorraine, after inviting her over, isn't home, Mrs. Allen plies her with ice cream and says sensibly, ""I guess we all get angry when our friends disappoint us."" So: ""By the time I leave I'm feeling much better."" But a couple of pages later, she's fuming again. The pictures are broadly comical but, like the narrative, they project none of the misery and elation needed to give even the situation some substance. So it all looks, and seems, pretty sappy.

Pub Date: Feb. 16, 1981

ISBN: N/A

Page Count: -

Publisher: Lothrop, Lee & Shepard

Review Posted Online: N/A

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 1981

Categories: CHILDREN'S