Buddy Is a Stupid Name for a Girl

From Publishers Weekly A boyish nickname ("Buddy") is the least of the 11-year-old protagonist's worries in this contemporary problem novel. Concerns about her mother's recent death, her father's mysterious disappearance and the state of homelessness she finds herself in when the landlord boots out Buddy and her brother loom much larger. When Bart, Buddy's 17-year-old brother, heads out to find their missing father, she goes to live with relatives she barely knows. In the small town of Haysville, Buddy meets with little sympathy from her aunts, who think her father abandoned his children and that her mother ran off with the family's meager fortune before she died. Buddy does not believe the accusations, but has no proof of her parents' innocence. Astute readers will quickly put together the puzzle about Buddy's family history, but it takes the characters an exceedingly long time to catch on. Roberts's (What Are We Going to Do About David?) book offers a host of colorful, if sometimes stock personalities, a strong message about loyalty and a gratifying resolution for those who pine for happily-ever-after endings. However, the uneven pacing of the narrative, conspicuously placed clues and an anticlimax when Buddy's parents are cleared of suspicion ultimately give the book a hollow ring. Ages 8-12. Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc. From School Library Journal Gr 4-6-Buddy's father has disappeared, and she and her teenaged brother are forced to move out of their home because they can't pay the rent. While Bart goes off to look for Dad, Buddy is sent to live in Montana with her maternal aunts, who seem glad enough to have her, but have something against her deceased mother. Buddy delves into the mystery and learns that her relatives believe that EllaBelle stole a large amount of cash from the family, and the child sets out to prove them wrong. She is helped by her cousin Max and her senile great-grandfather, who occasionally remembers details. The action happens at a good pace, and the whole book takes place within a few weeks time. However, the characters are almost stock. The codependent aunt and the bossy one, the forgetful old man, alcoholic uncle, caring but absent father, and male cousin who is at first distant but who comes around color Buddy's world. While the story is fairly interesting, there are details that just don't jive. The day of the alleged theft doesn't match up with details of when EllaBelle died, and some of the plot elements are forced, including the action associated with the book's title. A well-meaning story, with a few nuts and bolts missing.-Angela J. Reynolds, Washington County Cooperative Library Services, Aloha, ORCopyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.