YOU MAY ALREADY BE A WINNER, by Ann Dee Ellis

The story: Her dad is gone, her mother leaves them home alone all the time, and her only hobby is entering every sweepstakes she can find. Only Olivia's imagination--and her love for younger sister Berkeley--keeps the sixth grader going. When she finally, finally finds a friend in Bart, he betrays her in what seems to be the worst possible way. A winner? If she is, Olivia doesn't know it. Not just yet, anyway.

June Cleaver's ratings: Language PG; Violence G; Sexual content G; Nudity G; Substance abuse G; Magic & the occult G; GLBT content G; adult themes (parental abandonment & neglect) PG-13; overall rating PG.

Liz's comments: This book will be kind of a beat-down for those people who want a happy ending. It sort of had one, but the author waited until the very last couple of pages to set it up. In the meantime, Olivia's life was unrelentingly squalid and full of clueless or awful adults who were of no value whatsoever. Hand this to the kids who like the kind of stories that make them think, "Huh. Compared to this, my life isn't that bad after all."