Annabel, who appeared in Annabel the Actress, Starring in Gorilla of My Dreams (1999) and Annabel the Actress, Starring in Just a Little Extra (2000), enjoys her role as the butler's daughter in a local production of The Hound of the Barkervilles. She's less enthusiastic about her role as caretaker for The Hound himself, an over-affectionate Newfoundland with a penchant for drenching her with drool. In dealing with a heckler during the play, though, Annabel learns to handle an audience and to appreciate her canine partner. With a light tone, a quick pace, and more than a touch of humor, this short chapter book will please young readers, whether or not they share Annabel's aspiration for a career on the stage. Andriani's amusing drawings enhance the book's appeal.

In her third adventure, Annabel is thrilled to be offered a part in a play for adults--even if it means wearing a pink bunny costume and overcoming her fear of a big dog. What she hadn't counted on was Lowell, her "lifelong enemy," and his rude comments. Annabel's spunk and the book's slapstick humor will make readers cheer Lowell's final comeuppance. Expressive line drawings are scattered throughout the book.

Cute and lightly amusing though not as funny as its predecessor ( Starring in Just a Little Extra , 2000, etc.), this time Annabel, Conford's can-do budding actress heroine, is offered a part in an interactive mystery play. Annabel, who lives by the motto "no part too big or too small," is thrilled at the opportunity, but when she arrives at her first rehearsal, isn't happy to discover that she'll be sharing the stage with Binky, a gigantic dog who drools by the bucketful. Ever game, Annabel comforts herself with the notion that her favorite star, Winona McCall, had to deal with wild rhinoceroses and leopards in her last movie, while she just has "to work with a huge dog the size of a Jeep." Aptly illustrated by Andriani's droll black-and-white drawings, the humor in this series is fueled by Annabel's comic obsession to perform no matter what obstacles are thrown her way. And Conford piles them on, having her young heroine cope not only with Binky, but a ridiculous bunny costume and finally, on the night of the performance, heckling from her hateful classmate Lowell Boxer. But Annabel, who is intelligent and resourceful, proves to be a "real trooper," and her quick thinking saves the day. Particularly good is that Annabel's idea is both credible and childlike, the kind of save that an actual kid could come up with. Sadly, despite the fact that the Conford's production is smooth and professional, it's also rather hollow, technically on point but lacking her special brand of energized sparkle. (Fiction. 7-10)

Gr 2-4-Annabel has always wanted to be an actress, and she has been practicing at home. She gets her big break when she is asked to play the butler's daughter in a mystery play to benefit the Friends of the Arts. The hound of the title is a huge Newfoundland that has a playful personality and a never-ending supply of slobber. Although the child faces several challenges, from her costume burning in the dryer to her worst enemy trying to ruin the show, Annabel triumphs in the end and the performance is a success. Andriani's pen-and-ink spot illustrations perfectly capture the action and the mood of the delightful cast. Vocabulary is seamlessly introduced within the context of the story so that younger readers will not be confused by words like "interactive" and "realistic." Aspiring actors, dog lovers, and fans of Annabel's previous appearances will enjoy this lighthearted and humorous easy chapter book.-Genevieve Gallagher, New York Public Library Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information.