Leave Me Alone, Ma

By the end of this story about a family of chronic complainers, readers may their patience in short supply. Jamie's parents are away a lot; her father's TV career has made him bi-coastal, and her mother's climb on Wall Street calls for many business trips. When she's around, she trips over Jamie's art (she thinks it's garbage) and nags her daughter over endless detailstheir dialogues usually end with, ""Leave me alone, Ma.'' Jamie befriends a homeless girl, enters an art contest and falls in love with her best friend's brother. The awkward telling comprises a string of self-centered observations: ``I knew I would hold this scene in my mind like a painted frozen moment for the rest of my life.'' The romance is treated gently but, as a subplot, it can't help the rest of this story. Ages 11-up. (September)