Oh Honestly, Angela! (Apple Paperbacks) - Softcover

Grade 3-6 The Steele family, who first appeared in Mom, You're Fired! (Scholastic, 1983) returns in this new novel. The Steeles find it hard to make ends meet at times, and Tina, 11, is sure that her family is the only one in the world without matching towels. A trip to the ballet, a fund raiser for the Rescue the Children Program, changes Tina's thinking. A poster of Theresa, a girl for whom there will be no Christmas unless she is "adopted," and the sight of a man rummaging through the garbage for food make Tina realize that there are people a lot worse off than her family. She and her brother scheme to raise the monthly payments necessary to adopt an orphan. Kindergartner Angela has her problems, also. She takes her favorite stuffed elephant to show and tell, only to find out that she is expected to donate it to the school's Christmas drive for the needy. The book has several humorous episodes; the one in which Angela mistakes cat and dog food for tuna and hash will particularly delight readers. There is an obvious message here: children should be aware of and feel responsible for those less fortunate. A book appropriate for Christmas but not confined to any season. Judith L. Olson, Lansdowne-Emrath Library, Lexington, Ky.
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