Petey and Miss Magic

Poor Petey leads a dreary existence: he sleeps on the dining nook seat in the kitchen of his family's cramped apartment; he sees very little of his father, who works nights; his mother is a dreadful pessimist; and his relentlessly acerbic sister is always on his case. More than anything, Petey wants a pet, but his mother fears that an animal might bring about their eviction. When his teacher assigns a paper on the subject of ``My Pet,'' Petey is determined to acquire something to write about. While brooding under a bush in the park (``Everybody else had a pet or a real friend. He never had anything''), Petey finds his long-awaited companion: an earthworm. The boy works long and hard on his essay, which not only earns an A, but wins a contest that enables Petey and his worm to appear on a local TV show. With its message about the importance of persevering and not losing hope, Dorman's tale wins points for good intentions. Unfortunately, the writing is often sloppy (``Three Girl Scouts seriously walked by'') and histrionic, and the plot moves at, well, an earthworm's pace. Ages 9-12. (Mar.)