Sonia Begonia

Joanne Rocklin. MacMillan Publishing Company, $11.95 (107pp) ISBN 978-0-02-777310-1

This is a light first novel with serious undertones that should please readers of Lois Lowry's Anastasia books. Eleven-year-old Sonia sees herself as ""a girl with a good idea and a plan.'' Too young to join the family business (Begley Ladies' Lingerie Inc.), Sonia starts a house-watching service for her neighbors, unwittingly giving a tip to a friendly burglar. Too much of the story turns on Sonia's parents' failure to see how much she longs for their approval, but Sonia's reassurance on learning there is no family business geneonly work, luck, talent and many mistakesis convincingly drawn. (812)

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