BEANY HAS A SECRET LIFE

Latest in the Beany Malone series takes our heroine, now a Junior at Harkness High in Denver, over some rough 16 year old bumps. There's a new stepmother in newsman Martie Malone's large family, and a discouraging if temporary rebuff from the school's clubs throws Beany into the arms of an executive secret club of six members, started by glamorous, unhappy Maurine. Adair, Martie's new wife, is young and artistic and Beany is determined to like her until a set of circumstances that includes the theft of Adair's car, seems to prove irrevocably that Adair is out for blood. Beany takes increased refuge with Maurine and the small gang, but with her brother taking a hand, she realizes at last why such groups are against school Jurisdiction. Maurine too confesses both to the damage done Adair's car and to a serious if reparable step father problem. Warm, humorous and adult handling of these thorny issues.