Credit-Card Carole

Klass specializes in novels arising from critical choices as in The Bennington Stitch, etc. Here she mixes buoyant humor in a story with serious overtones, as told by Carole Warren, 16, whose credo has been ""I buy; therefore I am.'' The daughter of a prosperous dentist, Carole loses her credit card when Dr. Warren gives up his practice to pursue an acting career. Once a big spender enriching the mall in her New Jersey suburb, Carole now works after school; her mother gets a job, and her father makes the exhausting rounds along with all the other Broadway hopefuls. As time passes, the former shopper learns about real values through the experiences of good friends and her parents' struggles to realize a dream. This is a meaty story about likable people, especially Dr. Warren and his loyal wife, who persevere against the odds. It's fun to applaud their small victory and Carole as she grows from a mall groupie into a person. Ages 12-up. (September)