THE CAT THAT COULD SPELL MISSISSIPPI

Vying for acceptance in her new fourth grade, Linda weaves a tangled web. '""We don't need any more girls in this class!'"" they tell her. Seeking recognition, Linda boasts, cheats on a test, and quickly alienates class leader Tammy. She also empathizes with her brother's difficulties, agonizes over a stray cat (""Mississippi""), and meets a failed cook/fortuneteller who helps her think about her actions and motives. Eventually, everyone learns a lesson, ends an estrangement, or finds his/her niche--except Gramps, who continues to cheat on his diet by hiding cookies in the garage. This sequel to Figment, Your Dog, Speaking (1991) features several of the same motifs (dishonesty, a wish for acceptance, absent parents, a talking animal), as well as a similarly blurred storyline crowded with ancillary characters. Unfortunately, the important messages conveyed by their various experiences are obscured by the overload. Still, Hawkins continues to show promise as a storyteller.