A case could be made for claiming this novel is socially sensitive throughout. M. V.'s "education" is, after all, a testament to the happiness derived from being social. On a smaller scale, making new friends while keeping old ones is an idea reinforced repeatedly.

Uncle Milt, for instance, renews a longdormant friendship with Marvin Parker; as he does, M. V. and Arnold Pepper revitalize theirs. With M. V., readers are called to remember those who were there for them first as well as those who people their lives at present.

One pet project Newton attempts is to foster increased intergenerational respect. This kind of respect, she suggests, is sorely lacking in our society.

"Little kids don't have any idea at all about the real lives of grown-ups, do they?" M. V. asks, rhetorically, to which Uncle Milt replies: "Probably not, but it works the other...