MARY MARGARET AND THE PERFECT PET PLAN

Her neighbor, an awkward, necktie-wearing, violin-playing eight-year-old named Andy, intrigues Mary Margaret, but it’s the sight of his puppy, Itzy, that makes her hatch a plan to get a pet—any pet. Her three-point plan includes designing and performing a song to persuade or probably irritate and, then, manufacturing Poop Packs, or Number-Two totes, invented to sell to neighborhood dog walkers. Finally, she decides to make herself useful around the house, even if it means cleaning the toilet. Unfortunately, with a new baby on the way, a sarcastic brother, and a father with a dander problem, Mary Margaret’s perfect plan might just flop. Beyond the pet campaign, Mary Margaret is dealing with an even larger issue, whether their family is just too full to bring in another baby. The fast-paced dialogue is funny, smart, and right on target. Irresistible. (Fiction. 8-12)