St. Anthony, Jane. The summer Sherman loved me.

ST. ANTHONY, Jane. The summer Sherman loved me. Farrar, Straus & Giroux. c2006. 144p. 0-374-37289-6. $16.00. J

Margaret and Sherman live next door to each other. At 12 years old Margaret is trying to maneuver between thoughts of Sherman's crazy boy behavior and what it might mean to have a boyfriend like Sherman. The time period is not specific, but this is a different era, when kids sneak outside on hot summer nights, neighbors help keep an eye on neighborhood kids, and families socialize in the backyards. As the summer moves along, Sherman and Margaret swim at the lake and Margaret almost drowns. Sherman sneaks over later that night to comfort her as Margaret sleeps on the front porch. He has a "pet" squirrel he has named "Little Margaret." Later, they all look for her little sister who wanders off by herself. Then late one summer evening, Sherman is showing off his bicycle skills and tricks when a car comes down the darkened alley.

This is a nostalgic story about simpler summers. Some readers will want more action, but middle school girls will relate to the conflict between mother and daughter and the ambiguous emotions evoked by boys who roll down hills and play dead. Janis Flint-Ferguson, Assoc. Prof., English, Gordon College, Wenham, MA

J--Recommended for junior high school students. The contents are particular interest to young adolescents and their teachers.