Almost Perfect Sum/

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. (July)