LIBBIE SIMS, WORRY WART

An unexceptional first novel about a sixth grader whose biggest worries have to do with her Mom possibly remarrying her first husband (Libbie and her older sister are children of a long-divorced second) and with getting along with a prickly, pretty new girl. In more experienced hands, this could be enough, but Lockwood includes too many nonessential details of her Salem, Oregon setting, while offering few that reveal her characters in any depth. Still, the narrative flows well, and the author exhibits a grasp of the behavior and concerns of preteens and a good ear for their dialogue. Maybe next time... (Fiction. 9-12)