For a Good Time, Don't Call Claudia

A little overweight, clumsy and not very popularthose are the lesser worries of Claudia's ninth grade existence. And she's receiving obscene phone calls each night, a fact she hides from her mother. Of a more serious nature is the fact that her mother still mourns the deaths of her husband and son two years earlier, and she drinks a lot. Claudia muddles through, finding a job at a pet store and bringing home both a ferret and Mike, the owner of the pet store. He's a recovering alcoholic who wants to help Claudia's mother. Throughout, Claudia is a heroine of good humor and integrity, who won't compromise her standards under pressure from peers. Two incidentsone, when Claudia discovers the source of the phone calls and another involving a pair of glaringly new shoesmay leave readers laughing or crying. This is a sweet and funnystory; for a good time, read Claudia. (12-up)