Casey, 11, needs money for a plane ticket to visit her mother, an impecunious would-be Hollywood actress, so she and her infuriatingly brainy stepbrother Benjamin start a pet- and plant- sitting business during summer vacation. In the course of their ensuing misadventures with an overfed old poodle that inconveniently dies, two invisible cats, plants whose brown spots they disguise with green markers, and a whiny little girl's cardboard horse, Casey gets close to Benjamin, learns to appreciate her finicky stepmother, and begins to understand why her mother left. Some of the plot logic won't bear much scrutiny (though Casey's mother lives just 400 miles away, air travel is the only option considered), but the breezy pace and light touch carry it along. A couple of new characters appearing near the happy end suggest a sequel. (Fiction. 8-11)
Pub Date: Oct. 29, 1993
ISBN: 0-689-31879-0
Page Count: 112
Publisher: Atheneum
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 1, 1993
BOOK REVIEW
Beginning at the grocery, where most urban people today get food, Patent discusses the sources of foods that are made into such products as ``Tater Tots,'' ``V-8,'' and ``Uncle Ben's Converted Rice.'' Brief chapters discuss fruits and vegetables, grains, meats, and dairy products. Color photos contrast the various states: one spread includes shots of an appealing ``beef cow'' in a pasture, fresh cuts of meat, and a selection of processed beef products (e.g., Knox gelatine). Not about nutrition, but a useful awareness-builder. (Nonfiction. 8-11)
Pub Date: June 15, 1991
ISBN: 0-8234-0877-9
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Holiday House
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 1991
In this sequel to Liberty Porter, First Daughter (2009), nine-year-old Liberty continues to explore her new White House surroundings, copes with her first day at school and takes a field trip to the Smithsonian National American History Museum. Liberty’s efforts to be “nice, friendly, and welcoming to all” are frustrated by a small group of girls who want to monopolize her, and the extra attention she gets is a burden. Sprinkled with trivia about White House life, U.S. history and the museum, this will surely appeal to readers already intrigued by the lives of the current White House children. Who would not want to be part of a class invited to slide on the floors of the East Room and eat ice-cream sundaes with the president? Pooler’s grayscale illustrations break up the text every few pages, as do occasional lists and plentiful dialogue. Events from the first book are mentioned, but readers can easily start here. Those drawn in by the new-at-school story and friendship issues will stay for the fun. (Fiction. 8-11)
Pub Date: July 6, 2010
ISBN: 978-1-4169-9128-1
Page Count: 208
Publisher: Aladdin
Review Posted Online: June 3, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2010
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