An Almost Perfect Summer

Ellen Jane Gardner lands a summer job as a mother's helper on Cape Cod and learns that she will be looking after a spoiled, nasty brat, but the sight of next-door neighbor Todd Crowley revives her enthusiasm

Grade 6-8-- Ellen Gardner, 15, imagines that her summer job as a mother's helper will be as perfect as a romantic novel. She soon discovers that taking care of Derek, a strangely silent five-year-old, and Marcie, an overweight, bratty ten-year-old, is not quite the same as being a governess. Both children are impossible to entertain. Furthermore, their teenage sister expects Ellen to iron clothes constantly for her ever-changing wardrobe. As the summer wears on, Ellen comes to understand the children's problems and learns that "handsome is" does not always mean "handsome does"; she is repelled by an attractive boy's aggressive advances. Although predictable, this light novel is more than a formula romance. In fact, Ellen's elaborate fantasies cleverly satirize the type of novels in which everything is perfect. The main characters develop realistically, along with the the plot. A humorous story that should appeal to younger teens. --Jennifer Kraar, St. Joseph's University, Philadelphia
Copyright 1989 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Ellen, 15, wants to be a writer. In order to make enough money for an electronic typewriter and, at the same time, escape another dreary summer in Pawtucket, she accepts a position as a mother's helper in Cape Cod. Her employers, appropriately named the Winners, are rich, high-powered lawyers who spend little time with their children, Derek, Marcie and Lisa. Ellen discovers that she is but one of a string of babysitters who have been driven away by Marcie's antics and other problems. Although the situation is far removed from the Wuthering Heights scenario she imagined, Ellen stays with the Winners, hoping to win a date with smooth-talking Todd, the boy next door. What follows is predictable: Ellen struggles to manage two difficult children, becomes rivals with beautiful Lisa, spends a disastrous evening with Todd, ends up with a more sincere boy and, finally, learns that life is different from her daydreams. There is nothing very memorable about the teenagers in this romance: Ellen seems too naive for her age and Lisa is one-dimensional. Derek and Marcie prove to be the most intriguing characters in the novel. Scenes revealing their history of neglect and desperate need for love are honest and poignant. Ages 12-up.
Copyright 1989 Reed Business Information, Inc.