From School Library Journal Grade 5-8 If You Need Me contains enough elements of interest to make it a sure hit with readers in general and with Adler's already considerable following in particular. Thirteen-year-old Lyn has adjusted to Dora， her father's second wife， and she has solid friendships at school. She begins a friendship with Brian， who moves next door， when they adopt an abandoned dog. Lyn's balanced world threatens to turn topsy-turvy again when it seems that her father is attracted to Brian's mother. Character development is good， with the exception of Brian's father， who remains at the edge of the story. Burlap， the dog that Lyn and Brian adopt， plays a large part in the story， making this attractive to animal lovers as well as readers of realistic fiction. School activities， responsibilities to friends， and concern about divorce are all strong themes. Best of all， there are no pat endings here. Feelings are dealt with honestly and never just disappear for the sake of the plot. A sure circulator for pre-teens. Candy Colborn， Cottonwood Creek Elementary School， Englewood， Colo.Copyright 1988 Reed Business Information， Inc. Card catalog description Having grown to accept and love her stepmother Dora， thirteen-year-old Lyn is increasingly worried as tension grows between Dora and her father and he begins to be attracted to her friend Brian's mother instead， shattering her trust in him.