NOT FOR A BILLION GAZILLION DOLLARS

Matthew Martin, 11, last met in Make Like a Tree and Leave (1990), faces reality when his parents decree that he must earn half the money to buy the expensive computer program he craves. After considering renting out sister Amanda's room while she's at camp, he settles on mowing lawns and survives a hilarious session of baby-sitting. Friend Joshua joins him in washing windshields at a traffic light; money rolls in until their parents find out and they are forced to give their profits to charity. Then girlfriend Jill suggests marketing computer-made cards, posters, etc., and "Ima Card, Ink" is successfully in business. A smooth, rapid read, lightly salted with Matthew's trademark had puns and the tasteless jokes so appealing to kids. Danziger's sure touch with dialogue, pixie humor, and unobtrusive ability to tuck in moral messages nicely complement the warm portrait of Matthew's parents and their relationship with their children. (Fiction. 9-12)