Classic '80s middle grade novel. It had all the things I liked about these books: light, character-driven, doesn't move too quickly, quirky. The main character is allowed to be "young" for her age (she's unsophisticated, she sits on her dad's lap when she's upset.) In a complete throwaway moment, she bravely catches a thief! The coolest thing she can wear is a sweater with a boat collar. Aaaaand the man who lives upstairs whom the MC has a crush on is a total perv who's grooming her. The writer knows it, the reader knows it, and luckily the MC figures it out. But it's presented as no big deal, of course she can keep on babysitting for his child. And that's what it was like in the '80s; you kids today don't know how good you have it. ( )