From School Library Journal Grade 4-6-Fifth-grader Julie writes a series of letters to her pen pal， an elderly woman in a convalescent home， as part of a class project. Shortly after the correspondence begins， the child is diagnosed with pediatric rheumatoid arthritis， yet is committed to running in a fund-raising race and getting on with her life. Through her letters， readers glean information about Mrs. Kaplan， learning that the lonely 89-year-old has terminal cancer. Although the outcomes are predictable， the incidents are treated with humor and sensitivity. This popular and prolific author has crafted a well-written examination of courage， dignity， and determination at both ends of the age spectrum. The antics of Julie and her mischievous younger brother add enough lightness to make this a quick， but meaningful read.Sharon McNeil， Los Angeles County Office of Education Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information， Inc. Book Description OH， BRRRRROTHER!Hi. I'm Julie Welsh. My nine-yearold brother is always cooking up schemes...and I get blamed. Because I'm older. Eleven， to be exact. But Frankie has his good points too， as I told Mrs. Kaplan， my 89-year-old pen pal， who lives in Kansas. I write Mrs. Kaplan about everything. Even my secrets. She was the first one I told about my juvenile arthritis. Mrs. Kaplan understands. She has arthritis too. I was feeling tired and achy all the time， and discouraged. Then Mrs. Kaplan gave me ideas about running for student council， and though I could barely lift my legs， Frankie made me want to compete in a fun run. Just when I thought my life was a permanent time-out， you'll never believe what happened.... See all Editorial Reviews