Annabelle's mother "collects": linens stacked by color, egg cartons with odd-numbered expiration dates, Beanie Babies in the stair banister. No one uses the word hoarding. Instead they find ways to cope. Her dad immerses himself in Sherlock Holmes, her brother is never home, her sister Leslie collects stories of people killed by clutter. For her part, Annabelle purges her room weekly of anything nonessential. But when a pile of newspapers falls on Leslie, the coping strategies crack, and Annabelle fears her family is truly broken. Her father leaves early on a work trip to England, and her grandmother arrives to help, but Grandma Nora's approach to fixing things only transforms the home into a battle zone. The story falters in its after-school-special ending, but the strong writing, characters, and humor counterbalance this weakness and create a gripping tale of family love as Annabelle struggles to choose between escaping and staying to help unbury her family from impending disaster. Make room on your shelves for this engaging and topical novel.

Annabelle's mother is a hoarder. When an enormous pile of old newspapers comes crashing down on her sister, the repercussions force Annabelle to confront the ways in which her family is psychologically "broken." This accessible novel taps into common themes (uncertain friendships, impatience with parents and younger sister), but it most particularly explores the psychology of hoarding and its toll on a family.

It's like trying to save the Titanic by bailing water with a teaspoon." That's how Annabelle regards her life ever since her mother's hoarding took over the house and her father left.The stuff is piled everywhere in the white family's house: old milk bottles, stacked by long-ago expiration dates; egg cartons; ceiling-high piles of newspapers sorted by weather forecasts; and broken toys in huge mounds in Annabelle's 10-year-old sister Leslie's room. Her older brother's room is stacked with exercise equipment and paint cans. Only Annabelle's room is clean, but she keeps it that way by exercising a calming, obsessive ritual of prowling the exterior walls searching for potential maternal stashes. Annabelle's managed to keep word from spreading, but finally Leslie waves the white flag by notifying their distant, controlling grandmother, who immediately intervenes by moving in and launching a running battle with Annabelle's mom. Twelve-year-old Annabelle's smart, perceptive voice is fresh and realistic, alternating between plucky determination to keep her broken family running and a vulnerable undercurrent of believable despair. Her evolving relationship with a classmate provides a tender counterpoint to her heartbreaking home situation. Well-drawn and sympathetic characters (even, eventually, Annabelle's parents) drive this immersive tale that concludes with a satisfying but plausible hint of hope. Although broken parents are common fodder these days, this debut story is a standout. (Fiction. 9-14)

Lambert-s gutsy and affecting first novel tackles a topic not frequently discussed in middle grade fiction: living with a parent who-s a hoarder. At 12, Annabelle copes with her mother-s obsession with her -collections--old newspapers, milk jugs, canned vegetables-that are stacked throughout the house. Annabelle largely shoulders the burden alone: her father leaves on a business trip, her teenage brother routinely escapes to friends- houses, and her younger sister-s nightmares about death-by-hoarding are making her physically ill. Intensifying Annabelle-s isolation is her -Five-Mile-Radius Rule,- which she uses to keep friends at a distance. Her caustic, self-protecting humor will endear her to readers: after her grandmother arrives to spearhead a de-cluttering effort, Annabelle observes, -Rearranging the mess does not a cleanup make.- She also adds humor to a strained family game night, narrating the doomed evening as an Elizabethan tragedy. A believably hopeful ending reinforces the story-s call to face problems rather than hide or run from them, and to ask for help from others-especially family. Ages 8-12. Agent: Linda Camacho, Prospect Agency. (Feb.)

Gr 4-7 Annabelle's family seems to be slowly slipping out of control. In order to establish a sense of order for herself, Annabelle creates a few self-imposed rules. First, nobody from school is allowed within five miles of her house. This is pretty easy, since her family's increasingly run-down abode is miles outside of town. Second, no unnecessary items are allowed in her room, and she checks for this daily. Finally, and most important, nobody outside of Annabelle's family can know what really goes on at home. She does not want anyone to know that her mom collects things. In fact, she hoards them. Room after room has been taken over by items like newspapers (arranged by weather forecast), canned goods, items purchased from infomercials, Beanie Babies, and egg cartons. As a result, Annabelle's little sister has nightmares, her brother spends as little time at the house as possible, and her father throws himself into his work. After an incident with one of her mother's stacks of newspapers, Annabelle's parents have a fight that threatens to tear the family apart. Can Annabelle's overbearing, bossy grandmother step in and save the day, or will she do more harm than good? Will her mother ever be able to function without hoarding? This poignant tale with an authentic and memorable narrator will resonate with many young readerswhether they have personal experiences with hoarding or not. VERDICT Move this to the top of the realistic fiction purchase list in libraries serving middle graders. Carli Sauer, Carmel Middle School, IN