BOYS HERE--GIRLS THERE

In Depression-era Brooklyn, Jennie (Dinnie Abbie Sister-r-r!, 1987) begins public school while Papa tries to recover from losing his work as a jeweler, Mama gets a job, and the three children help more around the house. Jennie, who can't attend the all-boys yeshiva, finds herself one of only two Jewish children in her class. And when Mama has a new baby, it's not Jennie's longed-for sister but a third boy. Still, her brothers put a plank in their treehouse to make room for Jennie—it's a fitting acknowledgment of her new older-sibling status—and the extended family offers unfailing love and support in every vicissitude. There's warmth here but no dramatic tension, and it doesn't stand well alone; those familiar with the earlier book, though, will want to read it. Illustrations not seen. (Fiction. 5-9)