Girl Reporter Blows Lid Off Town!

Ellerbee (And So It Goes) takes a sure and steady step onto new turf with this inaugural novel of her Get Real series. Casey Smith, the frank and flippant narrator of this fast-paced story, arrives on her first day of sixth grade eager to join the staff of the middle-school newspaper. But her English teacher delivers the bad news that the school paper has been defunct for years. Still worse, the next day Casey learns that another student has beat her to the punch and announced her intention to revive the publication. Prissy in pink, Megan couldn't be more different from the down-to-earth, high-top-wearing Casey. Nor could their visions of the paper's focus be further apart: while Megan wants to fill its pages with fluff coverage of ""prom notes and bake sales,"" the heroine expects to tackle ""REAL news"" stories. When Casey suspects that the directors of a local paper mill are polluting a nearby river, she goes after her story with a zeal and persistence worthy of Ellerbee herself. The means by which Casey obtains the crucial evidence strains credibility a bit, but the issues, personalities and dialogue that the author introduces are inarguably authentic. In an articulate afterword, Ellerbee encourages readers to follow her heroine's lead and become involved in--and passionate about--their world. Casey grapples with the subject of cheating in Girl Reporter Sinks School!, the simultaneously released second volume of this promising series. Ages 8-12. (Feb.)