KEEPING COOL: The Callahan Cousins #3
by Elizabeth Doyle Carey
Little, Brown and Company
ISBN: 0316736937
Ages 8-12
288 pages

The Callahan cousins' summer with Grandmother Gee continues in this third book of the series, which is Kate's story. It opens with Kate, an ardent cook, recording notes on housekeeper Sheila's excellent recipes. While she writes, Kate reflects that she is lacking in comparison to her accomplished cousins: exotic Neeve, brave and athletic Hillary, and gorgeous, intelligent Phoebe.

Girly-girl Kate realizes she's a daydreaming homebody with tons of friends. But she also feels stressed by the events of the summer and by the way others perceive her. The cousins tease her about her timid and persnickety mannerisms --- and the worst part of the teasing is that she believes them.

Gee asks the girls to help her gather donations for a raffle and auction to benefit the local medical clinic. The other cousins love the idea, but Kate is terrified at the thought of approaching adults to beg for things. Ugh. She fakes enthusiasm, though, to please Gee. Kate's dread escalates when mean girl Sloan threatens the cousins with "problems" if they ask for donations in places where Sloan has connections. Since Sloan is local, Kate knows she has connections everywhere. Oh, dear.

The cousins tease Kate so much about fearing Sloan that Kate determines she will become an entirely new person. She'll show her cousins! She'll transform herself into a model of not only courage and athleticism, but the epitome of coolness. She'll actually wear her bikini (that she's been too embarrassed to be seen in) and acquire hobbies that are not old lady-like, such as her beloved knitting. When she requests help from her cousins on her transformation, they agree to assist her.

Despite Kate's plans to be a brave new person, she panics when she realizes the cousins must split up to approach businesses and individuals for donations. There is no way she can do it all by herself. Yet she must --- or admit she will never change.

Kate's quest for donations turns out to be even more challenging than she feared. She has difficulty even speaking to the shopkeepers; sometimes she can't quite force out her request. Sloan appears, easily and smoothly retrieving prizes while cowing Kate. Kate yearns to be as cool as Sloan. Is it possible to learn good traits from the surly local? As Kate advances step by baby step toward her goal, is she heading down the wrong path?

Kate's story is filled with genuine conflict any reader can identify with, making KEEPING COOL a page-turner. The coziness, emphasis on family, and lovely descriptions continue to form an appealing backdrop to the plot. I particularly appreciate the emphasis on Kate becoming "healthier" rather than "more in shape." One quibble: an adult character spells out "the lesson learned" in rather long-winded detail, which is certainly unnecessary given the intelligence of the readers (and of Kate herself). But that's just one tiny blip in a thoroughly enjoyable and entertaining story, which is excellent escape fiction.

This book, like the previous two, features a group of supportive cousins the same age, a separate fabulous Dorm for the girls to live in, a gorgeous island setting, and a grandmother with a benign hands-off policy, which all add up to a dream come true for any tween girl. Add the character of Kate --- growing and changing in a most satisfying manner --- plus a theme of self-acceptance, and you have yet another Callahan Cousins winner.

   --- Reviewed by Terry Miller Shannon (terryms2001@yahoo.com)

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