Operation Clean Sweep  
By Darleen Bailey Beard

     In 1916, Oregon was one of only eleven states that allowed women to vote, but in the small town of Umatilla, the voting power of women was about to be unleashed in a secret plan. In Operation Clean Sweep, young Cornelius Sanwick accidentally overhears this plan -- a plan to unseat all the men on Election Day. Worst of all, Cornelius' mom is earmarked for mayor. Since the present mayor is Cornelius' dad, he's got a serious problem. Should he keep the secret to help his mom or spill it to help his dad? And if that isn't enough worry, Cornelius also wants to find a famous pickpocket and get a chance to hold the hand of the prettiest girl in Umatilla. As the plot follows all these plans, the reader comes along for a light-hearted and spirited ride with Cornelius and his best buddy Otis. Although the underlying message about family obligation and human equality is serious, this is anything but a problem novel. Darleen Bailey Beard adds a wonderful pair of pals to such literary scalliwags as Mark Twain's Tom and Huck and Robert Newton Peck's Robert and Soup. Readers might be able to avoid learning something -- but they sure will have fun while they do it.