After All, You're Callie Boone

In this affable, sweet story, 11-year-old Callie Boone is devastated after her best friend inexplicably abandons her just before summer break. Her family, "officially the weirdest family on the block," with her former drill sergeant mother, ferret-loving uncle, and absentminded grandmother, doesn't make life any easier. When "total skateboarder" Hoot moves in next door and is determined to hang out with her, Callie thinks her summer can't get any worse. But Hoot turns out to be a supportive sidekick, as Callie trains with her father to make the diving team. Mack does an admirable job of making Callie realistically self-absorbed and dramatic, leaving readers both sympathetic toward and frustrated with her as a result. Callie's story moves along in a leisurely fashion—until the last few chapters, in which a heated argument erupts between Hoot and Callie and Callie's father suffers a heart attack. Young female readers should be attracted to Mack's earnest characters and hopeful message. Ages 9–12. (June)