WILLIMENA AND THE COOKIE MONEY

In this snappy novel, her first book for children, Wesley (author of the Tamara Hayle mystery series for adults) introduces a sincere and big-hearted heroine. Seven-year-old Willimena ("Willie") Thomas has a big problem: she earned $25.75 selling Girl Scout cookies and the money is due her Brownie troop leader. But the girl has spent the money buying lunches for twin sisters who live on her street. While their mother recovers from an illness, Lena and Lana are staying with their aunt, who doesn't always have enough money to feed them adequately. Distraught over the missing money, Willie confides in her sometimes supportive, sometimes bossy older sister, Tina. Tina comes up with a fund-raising idea—selling lemonade—that backfires miserably, though amusingly. Willie's own subsequent plan—to stage a neighborhood pet show—has an even more disastrous and an even funnier outcome, as a hamster's escape from its cage sets off a chain reaction resulting in bedlam. Sprinkled with quite believable bickering between the Thomas siblings, this first-person narrative, composed of brief sentences and clipped dialogue, moves at a brisk pace, ideal for beginning and reluctant readers. Ages 7-10. (June)