Minnow Vail (A Whitman Novel for Girls, No. 1556)

212 pp. Illustrated by Mimi Korach. It wasn't just because she was small that everyone called her Minnow. She loved the sea -- loved to be in it and beside it. Perhaps she was sort of crazy sometimes -- racing along the beach, diving to the bottom of the cove. But life was pushing her on, pulling her back, sending her in a thousand directions. And never was she more confused, more unsure of herself, than in the weeks just before Carnival. Spring, youth, and romance cast their spell on Cliffside during Carnival Week. Grunion or mermaid -- child or young woman -- Minnow didn't know where she belonged. This year she longed to compete for one of the glamorous mermaid roles in the Carnival. But there were obstacles, and a visit from cousin Lucia was one of the biggest. Lucia -- pretty, sophisticated, and never without a date. Boys were suddenly flocking to the Vail's door. There was Minnow's skin-diving pal Bob Jones, and handsome George Hartford, whom she secretly adored. Was it Minnow or Lucia who provided the big attraction? For Minnow, the Carnival was to be the most important week of her life. In it she learned the meaning of honesty and sincere friendship. She was assured, too, of what she had always suspected -- that growing up was a wonderfully complicated and exciting experience.