NOTHING BUT TROUBLE

Alex, a ``creative'' fifth grader, must prove to her parents that she is responsible enough to take outside babysitting jobs: she needs money to get her ears pierced, which her parents are unwilling to subsidize. Striking a deal, Alex must earn an A in family and an A on the upcoming school pet care project in order to gain babysitting privileges, but—true to her predicament-prone nature—her solutions to family and school problems lead to ``nothing but trouble.'' Alex's concern for her allergic younger sister, Meg, though somewhat inconsistent, is credible; but it's her depiction of the older brother who's been held up as a good example that provides the book's most sincere and telling scenes. ``I watched while Mr. Perfect went to the refrigerator and started taking things out....How did he even know where to begin?'' A loving family and a moment of self-revelation contribute to a satisfying ending. ``Maybe—maybe it was that I was all right with them? Even if I wasn't all grown-up yet.'' (Fiction. 8-12)