Secret Life of Hubie Hartzel

In this first novel about the trials and tribulations of a fifth-grader, chronic daydreamer Hubie Hartzel has decided that ``life stinks.'' His cat is sick, his best friend is treated better at home than Hubie is, he's the chief victim of Marucci, the local bully, and he's fallen in love with his art teacher. But Hubie fantasizes that he'll be thin, that he'll defeat Marucci, that he'll find his real parents who will treat him better and that his art teacher will love him back. Finally, when Hubie decides to take his life into his own hands, the results aren't exactly as he dreamed them, but they can sometimes come pretty close. With its likable characters and funny scenes, Masters's light and breezy saga is eminently appealing. Ages 8-12. (Mar.)