Midnight Soup and a Witch's Hat

Becky, the inquisitive, artistic heroine of My War with Mrs. Galloway and Whiskers Once and Always, is still involved in the aftermath of her parents' divorce. Her father sends airplane tickets to her so she can visit him in Oregon. Becky has braced herself to meet Rosellen, her father's live-in girlfriend, but she isn't prepared for Hope, Rosellen's daughter, who is staying with them temporarily. Hope is younger and clamors for attention, usurping time Becky would like to spend alone with her father. She even knows about Midnight Soup, which Becky considers a family secret. Orgel subtly observes the small but significant pressures that are an integral part of such families as Becky's. The previous two books centered on more involving problems, but this one has its own strengths: a gently probing style and Becky's spirited methods for working out things herself. Ages 7-10. (October)