Juliet: A Dream Takes Flight

The Girlhood Journeys Collection makes a lukewarm debut with these slim novels, set, respectively, in medieval England and Victorian San Francisco; two other novels, one set in Nigeria in 1440 and the other in 1775 Paris, are due for simultaneous release. While the series premise is derivative, the adolescent heroines, if not rendered with particular flair, are credible enough, and plots are suitably dramatic. Juliet retrieves an escaped falcon and discovers why a mysterious horseman has stolen the handkerchief of her best friend; Shannon rescues a Hong Kong orphan from a miserable existence as a slave to a Chinatown merchant. The girls' adventures are slated to continue-unfortunately, each of these two tales reads as a slice of a larger saga rather than a satisfying novel in itself, leaving the reader neither satiated nor, curiously, really hungry for more. The overall flavor is of an American Girls Collection wannabe, with an international reach added; the final page of each volume advertises tie-in dolls from Ertl Collectibles ""available where quality toys are sold."" However, the books' plots are significantly less compelling and the factual background skimpier than in the Pleasant Company's historical fiction. Ages 7-11. (Oct.)