EMMA DILEMMA AND THE NEW NANNY

Place one large family with five children, one pet dog and one lovable ferret under the direction of a liberal thinking new nanny and the stakes are high for both minor disasters and uproarious mishaps leaving busy working parents on edge. Emma, one of the elder siblings, is desperate to maintain control and responsibility in order to prove she is capable of participating on a traveling soccer team. At the same time, she feels she must protect Annie the Nanny from losing her new job and following a long list of former nannies out the door. The ever prolific Hermes combines a dash of humor, a pinch of anxiety and a whole lot of warmth and affection with real-life conflict to bring a busy hectic family together in a satisfying conclusion. Short, easy chapters in an amusing and suspenseful text provide intrigue and lots of amusement. Emma is a delightfully genuine young heroine with whom young middle-grade readers will identify and look to for future episodes. (Fiction. 8-10)