cover image Dooley MacKenzie Is Totally Weird

Dooley MacKenzie Is Totally Weird

Janice Farrell, Janice Harrell, Harrell. Simon Pulse, $2.95 (0pp) ISBN 978-0-671-69669-6

``Be careful what you wish for . . . '' is the theme of this novel, the second in a trilogy entitled Andie and the Boys. Andie Baker would love to have a boyfriend, so when Pete Joyner expresses interest she thinks her problem is solved--until Pete becomes claustrophobically possessive. Andie is even more concerned about her stepbrother P.J.'s friend Dooley, whose applecart is suddenly upset by his father's new live-in girlfriend. Dooley pulls a few pranks at school, hoping that through the intervention of guidance personnel, his father will see that the young woman must go. Dooley's efforts backfire, however, and Andie can neither help him nor check Pete's continued demands. The dialogue and first-person narrative are pungently witty while acknowledging the pitfalls of steady dating and the adjustments required when a parent remarries. Although Harrell's attractive characters often sound precocious beyond their years, readers should enjoy their company. Ages 11-up. (Feb.)