Back Yard Angel (Angel O'leary)

Although Angel loves her little brother, Rags, dearly, the constant responsibility of caring for him weighs heavily on her young shoulders. These tales of the trials and tribulations of ten-year-old Angel O'Leary are guaranteed to win many fans. A master at creating short, amusing episodes, Judy Delton writes about ordinary children in a manner often compared to Beverly Cleary, and Carolyn Haywood. Booklist described Angel as, "a flesh-and-blood child whom readers will take to their hearts. Each little jewel of a chapter is an episode unto itself, and Delton's handling of this format is reminiscent of Eleanor Estes' fine work."