The only kid on her block, Mabel can usually count on her grown-up neighbors for a game or two. Not today, though. Everyone is busy, and Mabel is a bit lonely . . . until she and her canine sidekick, Jack, think up idea after idea. There's one-footed roller-skating and Super Ball bowling and enough rambunctious fun that even the grown-ups wonder what they're missing. All they have to do is ask Mabel.

Lynne Avril is a cowgirl, painter, and bass player. She lives in Phoenix, Arizona.