E, My Name Is Emily

Mazer's newest addition to her alphabetically titled series is a sequel to B, My Name Is Bunny . Here, best friend Emily takes a star turn, as she clings to an ``impossible dream''--that her remarried, relocated father will come home for good. But Emily's tenuous hold on that vision is threatened when her struggling, overworked mother begins dating Mr. Linaberry, their landlord. Emily concocts a rather devious plan to stall their romance, and for assistance she turns to Mr. Linaberry's unsuspecting nephew, a precocious 12-year-old who worships her. As in D, My Name Is Danita, readers will identify with the agony of yearning for an absent father. Mazer's light-handed approach is again in evidence here, providing an engrossing and pleasurable read for middle graders. Ages 8-12. (Nov.)