MAYBE YES, MAYBE NO, MAYBE MAYBE

The author of two delightful picture books brings her witty, believable dialogue and awareness of children's preoccupations to a chapter book. Here, the deft plotting of Five Bad Boys, Billy Que, and the Dustdobbin (1992) is secondary to the characterization of three sisters whose relationships with each other are thrown into relief when their single mother finds all of them a new, slightly larger apartment a few blocks away in their L.A. community. The focus is on PK, nine, an imaginative child who feels only somewhat oppressed by older sister Megan's superiority as certifiably Gifted and ``almost a teenager''; who regularly confides in her bike (``Bike''); and who regales little sister ``Rabbit'' with stories that she assures her she doesn't make up—she finds them in the laundry hamper. It's the little things that seem to matter when they move: the collections that are kept, the favorite shabby chair that's left behind, the realignment of sleeping arrangements, the built-in hamper back at the old place, which PK goes to visit in hopes of renewing her inspiration (a quest that's successful, thanks to her ingenious creativity and to the happy discovery of Josh, a compatible new tenant). Nice, bright, and beautifully individualized, PK and her sisters are a likable trio whose return will be welcome. Pleasantly understated b&w art. (Fiction. 7-10)