Grade 4-6 A few weeks before Christmas, Kelly fights with her best friends Jennifer and Adelaide. The trio from Who Needs a Bratty Brother? (1985) and The Witches of Hopper Street (1986, both Lodestar), split up when Kelly loses her temper. This story, which stands on its own, conveys the loneliness of the ``odd girl out'' while the other two constantly share fun and secrets. However, Kelly manages to stay busy dealing with her prankster brother Ben, participating in the school holiday pageant, making money for gifts, going on a shopping trip to Cincinnati, and befriending a kind old lady. Kelly is a likable character, and the family dialogue scenes ring very true, but children interested in the sub-plot revolving around the old ``haunted'' Haggerty house may be disappointed. This is no mystery. Lack of a sustained, strong plot line and weak transitions between chapters mar an otherwise pleasant story about friendship. Giff's Love, from the Fifth-Grade Celebrity (Delacorte, 1986) is a better story of jealousies between friends. However, this is an acceptable handling of an often-requested topic.

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