With a Name Like Lulu, Who Needs More Tr

Life is turned upside down for timid Lulu Leone Duckworth-Greene, age 10, when she catches a baby falling from a third-floor window. Lulu thinks it's ridiculous when the press makes her famous overnight, but unwittingly the girl becomes an important part of the lives of the willful baby and her 18-year-old mother, Tilda. Tilda has a troublesome past and a bleak future, but Lulu recognizes the young woman's fear and determination. Confronting an overwhelming predicament for the first time, Lulu helps mother and daughter build a future. In acknowledging the heroine within Tilda, Lulu finally finds a sense of her own worth. Springstubb's vibrant and unusual characters coupled with her smooth narrative style lend credibility to this unique story of self-discovery. Kastner's black-and-white illustrations capture the novel's many humorous moments. Ages 10-14. (Nov.)