Web-Exclusive Reviews: Children's Books, 7/10/2006

-- Publishers Weekly, 7/10/2006

Children's Picture Books

BEAUTIFUL BUEHLA AND THE ZANY ZOO MAKEOVER
Gary Hogg, illus. by Victoria Chess. HarperCollins/Tegen, $15.99 (32p) ISBN 0-06-009420-6

In this silly send-up of the trend for makeovers, Beautiful Buehla primps Mr. Phibbs's zoo animals for their photo shoot. Despite Buehla's exhortations to apply the appropriate eye shadow, wear the hippest clothes, and do the right exercises, the animals are miserable trying to be something they're not. Chess's (The Costume Party) watercolors match the wacky tone of the effusive text, featuring a heroine who sports striped stockings and red high tops. Buehla is as enthusiastic as Richard Simmons and as convincing as an infomercial host, but the wide-eyed animals look suitably wretched. The lion hates his curled mane, the macho bears feel itchy in their disco outfits, and the gorilla wakes up to find his fur dyed pink. Like Buehla herself, Hoggs's (Stop That Eyeball!) extensive text seems overenthusiastic, but in the end, Buehla inadvertently undoes her do-overs. The denouement is both sudden and implausible: Buehla applies so much face powder that Large Marge, the flutter-eyed elephant, literally sneezes all the animals back to their natural state, whereupon they can finally offer genuine smiles for the camera. In case inattentive readers don't get the heavy-handed moral, a last page "Safari Tattler" faux news story editorializes: "It is often the case that natural beauty supersedes the kind of packaging that our popular culture seems to expect." Ages 4-7. (May)

BRIGHT PATH: Young Jim Thorpe
Don Brown. Roaring Brook, $17.95 (40p) ISBN 1-59643-041-9

In this rather disappointing picture book biography, Brown (Mack Made Movies) spotlights the early years of Native American Olympian athlete Jim Thorpe through to his participation in the 1912 Olympics. He was born on land belonging to the Sac and Fox Indians in 1888, and called Wa-tho-huck, meaning Bright Path. The author covers a lot of ground here, and though readers learn a lot about Jim's life, they don't get much of a sense of his character. The first few spreads establish the boy's love of the outdoors, growing up on his family's Oklahoma farm. At six, he was sent to a boarding school for Indian children where he was "taught to act and dress like white people." Before the age of 13, his mother died, and eventually Jim's father sent him to a "military strict" Indian school in Pennsylvania, where he felt "like a quail in a cornstalk snare." But it was there that, on a lark, Jim tried to clear the high-jump bar and wound up breaking the school record, turning him onto track and football. At the 1912 Olympics in Stockholm, he won gold medals in the pentathlon and decathlon. (A concluding note fills in details of Thorpe's later years and being stripped of his medals, a decision that was reversed in 1973.) In trying to cover such an expanse of events, the narrative sacrifices depth, and the artwork seems less crafted here than in Brown's other works. Ages 5-9. (May)

DICK WHITTINGTON AND HIS CAT
Margaret Hodges, illus. by Mélisande Potter. Holiday, $16.95 (32p). ISBN 0-8234-1987-8

Hodges (Saint George and the Dragon) retells the age-old story of how a boy coming from nothing, makes something of himself in this true-to-life saga of the three-time Lord Mayor of London. Orphaned young Dick Whittington arrives in the city with the expectation of finding wealth and prosperity. After his hopes are quickly dashed ("He could not find clean water. At night, thirsty and dirty, he huddled in doorways to sleep"), he comes upon a wealthy merchant who offers him provisions and a spot as his cook's assistant. The story takes on somewhat of a Cinderella-esque tone, as Dick is tormented by the merchant's cook ("She never lost a chance to beat him"). Potter's (Pizza for the Queen) dark ink-and-gouache illustrations aptly reflect the hero's gloomy existence in London, somewhat tempered by the arrival of a feline offering some much-needed warmth. Pet lovers will surely feel Dick's pain when he offers up Tabby at the request of his master. But Tabby becomes the catalyst for his reversal of fortune, and Dick becomes a changed man whose generosity benefits all. This text-heavy tale may be a bit dense for youngest readers, but the lesson of "give and ye shall receive" is one that they will easily understand. Ages 4-8. (May)

FEET MAN AND MR. TINY
Gina Freschet. FSG, $16 (32p) ISBN 0-374-32294-5

One misfit learns from another how to put his best foot forward. Feet Man, shy and reclusive, walks barefoot because no shoes fit ("his foot size was triple-extra-umpteen-large"), and his unkind neighbors taunt him with merciless clichés (" 'Careful, he might stand up for himself!' 'Or he might put his foot down!' "). Life changes when Feet Man discovers a leprechaun-like man, sporting a green overcoat and top hat, wedged between his toes. Mr. Tiny empathizes with the trials of being different, but emphasizes the positive. Like the townsfolk, he speaks in clichés, as when urging his friend to enter a shoestore-sponsored contest (e.g., "With dogs like yours, you're a shoe-in to win"). Freschet's watercolors incorporate an understated humor that offsets the text's slapstick tone: in a street scene, five birdhouses clutter one tree, while a man and dog sit in a diner booth. The supporting cast resembles comic strip characters, with exaggerated noses and different-shaped eyes. This tale trumpets its message about the transforming power of friendship. Ages 4-8. (May)

HERON AND TURTLE
Valeri Gorbachev. Philomel, $15.99 (40p) ISBN 0-399-24321-6

As easy-to-read as a first chapter book, this full-sized picture book includes simple language, three short chapters, and two buddies in the title roles. The stories exude a quiet charm with language courtly and formal (" 'Good morning, Heron,' said Turtle. 'It is a beautiful day today. Would you like to go for a walk with me?'... 'But, friend Heron,' cried Turtle, 'you go too fast' "). The theme of each story emphasizes cooperation: when Turtle can't keep up with Heron's long legs, they decide to ride in Turtle's boat instead. When Heron visits Turtle, he takes a very long time to pile up benches to make Heron comfortable. When the two friends listen to beautiful nighttime noises, they remind each other that they are best friends. What the stories lack in drama, they make up for with beguiling illustrations. The affection the characters share emanates from Gorbechev's captivating pen-and-ink and watercolor illustrations. Turtle wears a character-defining striped shirt and blue baseball cap while tall heron sports a Gone with the Wind ruffled dress with a polka-dot purple bow and matching wide-brimmed bonnet. Expressive minor characters appear throughout—young frogs gleefully jump off a pier, a contented beaver rows a boat in the moonlight—and the peaceful, loving tone will make the book appropriate for a bedtime story that ends with a hug. Ages 4-8. (May)

LANGLEY LONGEARS
Julia Goschke, trans. from the German by Charise Myngheer. Penguin/Minedition, $15.99 (32p) ISBN 0-698-40038-0

Newcomer Goschke introduces a puppy with overlong ears that earn him ridicule. Langley's embarrassment and frustration turn to pride when he saves his endangered brothers and sisters by listening hard for them with his big ears; his siblings have fallen into a hole in the forest. "Langley clapped one of his long ears over his eyes so that he could think more clearly." Goschke shows the hero and some newfound friends as they push a dead tree down into the hole to rescue them. Langley's big eyes and snout are appealingly exaggerated, and Goschke paints his fur (and the thousands of blades of grass he and his siblings romp over) with meticulous care and startling crispness; the scenes look almost floodlit. Earlier on in the story, in the book's most charming series of scenes, Langley tries to arrange his ears to look smaller; he curls them, piles them on top of his head, then tries the Princess Leia look, holding up his silver dog dish to survey the effect. Whether or not children accept the book's message that physical defects may actually be their most precious assets ("It's what's between your ears that counts!"), they'll likely enjoy the furry, self-reflective hero. Ages 2-up. (May)

MAGGIE'S AMERIKAY
Barbara Timberlake Russell, illus. by Jim Burke. FSG/Kroupa, $17 (40p) ISBN 0-374-34722-0

A young Irish immigrant, struggling against hardship and prejudice to find her place in 1898 New Orleans, discovers a world of diverse cultures, music and possibilities in Russell's (The Remembering Stone) atmospheric, lengthy picture book. While Mam sews and Da peddles, dreaming to "buy land in Amerikay," Maggie attends school because Da insists: "I've not crossed an ocean for my girls to work in factories." Having been warned by her neighbors to "stay away from such Negroes" as young Nathan, Maggie is nonetheless shocked when Nathan's mother says, "Don't let me catch you fooling with Irish, boy. They're trouble." But after Da recognizes Nathan's gift for music and gives him a cornet, Nathan helps Maggie find work in African-American Storyville, transcribing the recollections of Daddy Clements, a bedridden former slave and soldier. In earth tones with occasional touches of vibrant pink, Burke's (My Brothers' Flying Machine) street scenes portray the city's rich ethnic mix and signature ironwork, while indoor settings illustrate humble living and working conditions. Burke subtly charts Maggie's transformation from reserved, suspicious newcomer to a smiling, dancing optimist. Ragtime pulses through the story's background: Nathan's cornet, Da's tin whistle and African drums provide "Old seeds for new songs." Gritty realities and vibrant possibilities both figure in this moving tale of hope in a quintessential American city. Ages 6-9. (May)

MRS. CRUMP'S CAT
Linda Smith, illus. by David Roberts. HarperCollins, $15.99 (32p) ISBN 0-06-028302-5

This gently and economically-told story about the friendship between a lonely woman and a stray cat will appeal to warmhearted readers, young and old. Mrs. Crump believes that cats are sneaky, finicky, and troublesome. When a wet feline slips into her house like a furry ball of yellow sun, Mrs. Crump tells it plainly, "I have no use for a cat." She intends to send the animal on its way, but "it curl[s] itself around Mrs. Crump's ankles like a soft velvet ribbon and mew[s] hungrily." Roberts's (Cinderella: An Art Deco Love Story) watercolor palette of blue and gray grows brighter as the cat slowly captivates Mrs. Crump, and the artist adeptly depicts the changing expressions on the faces of the characters. When the pinched, lonely Mrs. Crump first feels the cat's touch, she seems startled, if still disapproving, but by the time she goes out to buy cream, navigating a rainy sea of umbrellas, she wears a very slight smile on her face. The late Smith (Mrs. Biddlebox) fills the story with telling details as Mrs. Crump begins making excuses for why she simply can't get rid of the cat. The heroine decides not to post a notice about the "exquisite golden cat" she's found, and advertises instead for "one sneaky finicky troublesome wet yellow cat with fleas," thus ensuring that the story will end ever so happily with the cat in her lap and Mrs. Crump "wondering how [she] ever got along without it." Ages 4-8. (May)

THE NIGHT IS SINGING
Jacqueline Davies, illus. by Kyrsten Brooker. Dial, $16.99 (40p) ISBN 0-8037-3004-7

In lyrical language, Davies (The Boy Who Drew Birds) describes the many distractions that keep an inquisitive girl from much-needed rest. The repetition in the opening passage produces an almost hypnotic effect, gently coaxing readers off to dreamland: "When the night is gently falling,/ And the moon is on the rise,/ Close your eyes,/ Close your eyes.../ The night is singing lullabies." Not so fast: the heroine hears the siren calls of honking geese, the blowing wind and falling rain—a cacophony of sounds that make their own music. In Brooker's (Precious and the Boo Hag) illustrations of collage and oil paint, leaves tremble during the onset of the storm and a pouncing kitten practically bounds off the pages. Before sleep can become a lost cause, the gentle "tip-tap beat" of Mama's feet drowns out the other sounds, which the text echoes ("Rain is slowing,/ Soft wind blowing"). The soothing verse comes full circle, offering just a hint of a world that is still at work even while we rest ("And the stars ignite the skies./ 'Til you rise,/ 'Til you rise"). Ages 4-up. (May)

ON TOP OF SPAGHETTI
Paul Brett Johnson, based on lyrics by Tom Glazer. Scholastic, $15.99 (32p) ISBN 0-439-74944-1

Johnson offers readers a goofy backstory for the popular folk song parody, much along the same lines as his look at another novelty hit, Little Bunny Foo Foo. Here, he posits that the title song is about a struggling canine chef named Yodeler Jones who claims that, ever since the fried fritter fricassee parlor moved next door, "I couldn't haul in a customer with a line and pole." When a mouse assistant sneezes and sends a promising meatball flying, the lyrics of the song start wafting through the pages ("It rolled off the table/ And onto the floor,/ And then my poor meatball/ Rolled out of the door"), while Yodeler's first-person narrative fills in the details of his meatball pursuit. In keeping with the song's lesser-known third and fourth verses (the entire song appears on the final page), the dog's fortune is made when the mushed meatball somehow yields (overnight) a magical tree that produces "the most dee-licious meatballs this side of Sicily." Johnson's work feels less polished here than in some of his previous titles (The Cow Who Wouldn't Come Down); his ink line looks clunky, and his characters feel flat and methodical, even at their most agitated. But it's hard to quibble with a book that's so genuinely genial. The folksy cadences of Johnson's text and the opportunity to break into song will likely raise a smile. Ages 4-8. (May)

ONCE UPON A TIDE
Tony Mitton, illus. by Selina Young. Random/Fickling, $16.95 (40p) ISBN 0-385-75100-1

In this rhyming escapist fantasy, an unnamed boy and his older friend Bess build a boat, sail "to the place/ where sea meets sky" and find buried treasure. They then return to their home shore to grow older as contented beach bums, "singing songs/ of far-off seas/ with children sitting/ round our knees." Although Mitton's (the Amazing Machines series) short verses never quite take flight ("We whistled a chantey./ We waved to a whale./ Bess worked the rudder/ and I worked the sail"), Young's (Young at Art) watercolor-and-ink pictures exude her customary liveliness and attention to detail. The scene in which the children find the treasure, for instance, features lush green palms, a skull-shaped (but not too scary) rock—even a monkey observer. As in her A Summery Saturday Morning, Young proves once again her special affinity for stories inspired by the seashore. Using delicate washes of blue and green, and dramatic stains of purple, she makes the great expanse of water seem as magical as it does in real life. Ages 2-6. (May)

ONE OF THOSE DAYS
Amy Krouse Rosenthal, illus. by Rebecca Doughty. Putnam, $13.99 (32p) ISBN 0-399-24365-8

Krouse (Cookies: Bite-Size Life Lessons, reviewed June 5) begins with a hard-to-disagree-with proposition: "Some days are just not as great as others. Some days are one of those days." She then enumerates some examples, from the comically irksome (e.g., "One Freak Hair Day," "Itchy Sweater Day") to the infused-with-existential-dread ("Feeling Left Out Day," "Sad For No Reason Day"). While the roster is emotionally astute and authentic, the book would be a quick flip-through at best (at the end, readers find the author's assurance that even the worst are followed by "a brand-new day"), if not for Doughty's (31 Uses for a Mom) scraggly-inked drawings. Her gawky-limbed, poker-face characters act as the ideal conduits for expressing life's little and big disappointments; at the same time, Doughty's wry, editorial sensibility fleshes out the skeletal text. For the "Answer To Everything Is No Day," a girl assumes the pose of a supplicant in front of her implacable mother; a comic-strip balloon over the girl's head indicates that what she's begging for is that ne plus ultra of unfulfilled wishes, a pony. Still, the text's overtone of sullenness feels more appropriate to a tween audience. Ages 4-8. (May)

ONE TWO THREE ME
Jeremy Fitzkee, illus. by Nadia Budde. Viking, $ (24p) ISBN 0-670-06124-7

This comical jumble of rhymes, a paper-over-board book first published in Germany, might appeal to the Richard Scarry crowd. Fitzkee's text unfolds as a riff on a dictionary game that matches phrases with sound rather than sense. Each four-line stanza provides labels for three similar creatures paired with an oddball fourth. For example, three polar bears are dressed, "in a vest/ in a dress/ in a coat" and stand next to a grumpy "goat." On the next page, three goats appear "in the rain/ in the snow/ in the fog" with a "frog" who stares out at readers. The rhymes vary from prepositional phrases to descriptions of clothing or activities. Three frogs, labeled "spotted/ plaid/ pale," appear next to a large blue "whale." Budde's accompanying bright cartoon art features characters with appropriately expressive eyes and goofy expressions, and her artful use of black line and droll characters lend a great deal of humor to the text. A scrawny hound hides behind a sandy hill ("shy"), begs most fetchingly ("tame") and stands on its head flashing zipper teeth ("wild")—which rhymes with "child" and brings the book back to readers. A hodge-podge of rhymes and appealing characters, this toddler book will provide plenty of silly rhymes and bedtime giggles. Ages 4-8. (May)

ROTTEN AND RASCAL: The Two Terrible Pterosaur Twins
Paul Geraghty. Barron's, $12.99 (32p) ISBN 0-7641-5918-6

Geraghty's (Dinosaur in Danger) prehistoric fable begins, "65 million years ago, the world was a deafening place." The main reason, however, was not geologic instability—which Geraghty nonetheless portrays with brio—but rather the constant bickering of the two title characters, a pair of pterosaur twins. "By day they would yell at each other, by night they would shout.... They just never stopped." The protagonists are the spitting image of quarrelling human siblings: they stomp their feet, clench their fists and scream so hard that their tongues stick out and their eyes squeeze shut. When a juicy fish triggers yet another "hullabaloo" ("It's mine!" "It's mine!"), the other dinosaurs suggest various competitions to determine which twin should get possession fair and square. But the T. rex comes up with the best solution ("Which one of you is the fattest, the juiciest...?"): he eats them both. "And just in case you were wondering," the author wryly notes on the final page, "they both tasted exactly the same." Wait, wait, some will cry, shouldn't the final pages have reconciled Rotten and Rascal and then shown them joining forces to defeat the evil T. rex? But most kids will savor the twins' comeuppance at the hands of everyone's favorite prehistoric predator. Ages 4-7. (May)

THE SCARAB'S SECRET
Nick Would, illus. by Christina Balit. Walker, $16.95 (32p) ISBN 0-8027-9561-7

A scarab beetle—revered among ancient Egyptians—serves as both narrator and hero of this stylishly illustrated tale. Would (The Warrior and the Moon) sets his story along the banks of the Nile, where the pale blue beetle encounters a young pharaoh, who scoops him up and says: "The rising sun shines down on me, and yet I hold the sun in my hand—for, Khepri, your name means 'rising sun.' " The two meet again after Khepri inadvertently catches a ride in a basket of dried figs bound for the pharaoh's tomb, which is under construction. After discovering a trap set there to kill the pharaoh, Khepri humbly finds a way to warn him. Readers lacking the historical background for this story (given in an endnote) may find the events hard to put into context. But a few suspenseful spreads and the sumptuous, albeit busy, illustrations will help maintain interest. Balit (Atlantis: The Legend of the Lost City) skillfully unifies the scenes with ornate patterns in tones that reflect the earth, sun and sea. Geometric, gilt-edged motifs repeat on plant leaves, bird feathers and the pharaoh's elaborate jewelry. In the scene of Khepri in the fig basket aboard a Nile River boat, the rounded arc of the bow gracefully divides the text from the remaining three-fourths of a spread, awash in blue-green hues and recurring gentle curves. Balit's compelling artwork complements what might serve as an intriguing introduction to ancient Egypt. Ages 4-8. (May)

SLEEPYHEAD BEAR
Lisa Westberg Peters, illus. by Ian Schoenherr. HarperCollins/Greenwillow, $16.99 (32p) ISBN 0-06-059675-9

Peters (Cold Little Duck, Duck, Duck) has such a knack for putting readers in the title cub's shoes—er, paws—that they, too, will be able to feel his anguish at not being able to get to sleep. The rhyming verse moves the story along at just the right pace for preschoolers acting out each creature's sounds ("He tries to look tall and growls, Grrrrrr!/ But the bugs aren't afraid, and they buzzzzzz in his fur"). Because the plot fluidly moves from one event into the next, punctuated by onomatopoeia, storytellers will find the words rolling right off the tongue. Schoenherr's (Little Raccoon's Big Question) illustrations aptly capture the exhausted cub with eyelids so heavy they can barely stay open. Other scenes, however, are almost frightening, a caveat for parents of youngsters who may fear the wide-mouth bear roaring at a family of terrified raccoons. The art tones down at story's end, when a colorful cloud of butterflies befriends the cub; they play with him until he has no energy left. As the bear finally settles in for his long-overdue nap, so too can readers, whose bedtimes may be upon them. Ages 4-up. (May)

Children's Fiction

THE CHRISTOPHER KILLER: A Forensic Mystery
Alane Ferguson. Viking/Sleuth $10.99 (260p) ISBN 0-670-06008-9

This suspenseful tale includes some unusual technical elements for good measure. Seventeen-year-old Cameryn has wanted to be a forensic pathologist for as long as she can remember, and when a killer strikes in her hometown of Silverton, Colo., she takes advantage of her father's position as coroner to assist in the autopsy. But she had not expected that she would know the murder victim. Cameryn's interest is both personal and professional, so when the Medical Examiner sends her from the room, she does some independent investigating in hopes of bringing her friend's killer to justice. Cameryn then finds her own life in jeopardy as she hones in on the murderer. Ferguson's (Show Me the Evidence) novel includes detailed descriptions of human corpses and the autopsy process, but viewed through Cameryn's fascinated eyes, the dealings with the dead are more clinical than gross, and reinforce her resolve to make sure justice is carried out. The ending will keep readers on the edge of their seats. Ages 12-up. (May)

DOPPELGANGER
David Stahler, Jr. HarperCollins/Eos, $16.99 (272p) ISBN 0-06-087232-2

The nameless narrator of Stahler's (Truesight) horror story/morality fable opens by announcing his most recent murder—and then things start to get really dark. He is a doppelganger, a shape-shifting breed: "We prey on your race—stalking you, watching your moves, the places you go, learning the patterns of your life. Then, when we think we've got it down, we find a nice quiet little corner to strangle you in and take over." Cursed with a conscience (he actually stops to question whether or not it is moral to kill), he is abandoned by his mother at age 16. Soon thereafter, he kills a teen named Chris Parker and inhabits his body; the narrative then becomes an intruder's-eye view of suburban life, with its veneer of happiness and the sadness hiding beneath. Chris's father is an abusive alcoholic. In a particularly powerful scene, Chris protects his younger sister from their father's rage, and nearly kills him in the process; a side plot involving the narrator's first girlfriend is less effective. The moral of the story is old and oft-used, telegraphed from page one ("We have met the monster and he is us"). And while the ending is predictable, it is satisfying in its own way and will likely start many worthwhile conversations on morality and "nature vs. nurture." Ages 12-up. (May)

GIRL IN DEVELOPMENT
Jordan Roter. Dutton, $15.99 (304p) ISBN 0-525-47690-3

This is pretty much guilty pleasure fare, with plenty of appealing moments, but no real surprises. When 18-year-old Samantha's uncle sets her up with a summer internship at a movie production company, the smart, accident-prone high school graduate moves from Massachusetts to Hollywood—where she shares a room with her cool cousin, Kate. Through their influence on each other, Sam learns to loosen up, while party girl Kate realizes she is "losing her sparkle" and becomes determined to find a new direction. The cousins not only become friends, but eventually wage "war" against the guy who wronged Sam (Matt not only breaks her heart, he steals her movie treatment). Characters are as scripted as the plot, from ultra-smooth Matt, who says "I wanted to kiss you the moment I saw you," to Kate's hypochondriac friend, who chicly accessorizes her ailment-of-the-moment. Even so, plenty of drama and glamour will keep readers flipping pages (the girls shop at Fred Segel, sunbathe at a private beach club and spend nights at exclusive restaurants and parties, hobnobbing with celebs). Both girls have realistic strengths and weaknesses (Sam is genuine and unique, but she has her defenses up after hard high school years amongst rich kids; Kate, on the other hand, can be fun and loyal, but also shallow and mean); by shaping them into more full-blooded characters, the author makes their bond more believable. Even so, it may be hard for many readers to buy the picture-perfect ending. Ages 14-up. (May)

OUT OF PATIENCE
Brian Meehl. Delacorte, $15.95 (304p) ISBN 0-385-90320-0

This farcical first novel gets inside the anxieties of 12-year-old Jake Waters, great-great-great-grandson of his hometown's founder. Despite his lineage, Jake fervently hopes to one day partake in "the most popular activity in Patience, Kansas, for well over a century. Leaving." Long dormant forces conspire against him when a curse tied to buried treasure mislaid by Jake's ancestor comes to fruition with the return of "The Plunger of Destiny." This antique device unstopped the first toilet blockage west of the Mississippi and played a role in the scandal that begot the curse. Jake's loving father, Jim, has purchased the plunger on eBay. The man plans to showcase it as the crown jewel of the American Toilet Museum he wants to open. (He will lure tourists with signs that read "ATM—this way.") Jake tries to get his mind off impending doom with the World Series of Workup, a summer baseball contest in which his chief rivals are his two best friends—Howie, son of the local fertilizer scion, and Sira, daughter of the Pakistani motel owners. (The traditional seventh-inning stretch has been replaced by the Seventh-Inning Stench, which occurs when the manure trucks arrive at the fertilizer plant, adjacent to the field.) There's enough material here for several novels—and though Meehl ties multiple strands together in the end, readers may need (sorry) patience. Fortunately, there's enough intelligent humor, plumbing history and tornado-fueled drama to propel the story to its satisfying conclusion. Ages 9-12. (May)

PUCKER
Melanie Gideon. Penguin/Razorbill, $16.99 (288p) ISBN 1-59514-055-7

This suspenseful, well-paced science fiction novel introduces a lonely 17-year-old, isolated because of his disfigurement. Thomas Quicksilver, nicknamed "Pucker" because of his badly burned face (he says he has "the face of a wizened geriatric") embarks on what he believes to be a dangerous mission. His childhood home was Isaura ("a sister world clinging to [Earth] like a parasite"), where his parents were Seers, people who could see the future because they had a second skin. At age eight, Thomas's face becomes badly burned in a housefire, when the Isaurian Ministry leaves his father dead and his mother barely conscious after flaying both adults' second skin. Escaping to Earth, Thomas's mother, Serena, supports them by telling people's fortunes until she is exhausted and near death. Serena begs Thomas to return to Isaura, to save her life by finding her second skin. On Isaura, Thomas becomes one of the Changed, people recruited from America's ill or disfigured population, then magically cured by the Maker to work in Isaura's labor force. For the first time in nine years, Thomas is desirable. His search for his mother's skin slows as he realizes that he will have to choose between his beauty and life on Earth, where he will return to his former self and be known once again as Pucker. Readers will identify with Thomas's honest voice and the difficult choices he must confront. Gideon (The Map That Breathed) has once again crafted a thought-provoking novel set in an alternate universe. Ages 12-up. (May)

STRANGE HAPPENINGS: Five Tales of Transformation
Avi. Harcourt, $15 (160p) ISBN 0-15-205790-0

Avi (Poppy's Return) turns the multifaceted theme of transformation this way and that in five provocative tales. In "Bored Tom," a listless 12-year-old, envying his cat's nap-filled existence, agrees to swap lives via the intercession of Maggie, a "wizard-cat," who ultimately one-ups both former boy and former pet. The witty premise of "Babette the Beautiful" involves a 16-year-old princess born invisible after a crone abets a vain queen's wish for a flawless daughter; Babette struggles toward self-knowledge, literally piecing herself together in mirrored rooms full of human parts. The stories nimbly incorporate folkloric motifs and archetypes, and feature a pleasing assortment of talking animals. Characters suffer moral consequences for their greed, vanity and dominion over the powerless, whether human, bird or beast. In the first and last pairs of stories, deft narratives consciously incorporate the wry omniscience and plainspoken diction of traditional folk tellings For the centerpiece, "Curious," Avi, while still probing an ancient moral ("curiosity killed the cat") adopts a matter-of-fact tone and modern setting. With its clever mix of magic, mystery and a soupcon of sci-fi (plus a captivating cover, to boot), this collection will please Avi's fans and may well draw new ones. Ages 8-12. (May)

TEMPING FATE
Esther Friesner. Dutton, $16.99 (288p) ISBN 0-525-47730-6

What happens when the gods get tired of running the universe and decide to go on vacation? According to this lively novel, they solicit the services of D. R. Temps, an organization that hires out mortals to keep the cosmos in order while the immortals are away. Teenager Ilana Newhouse gets more than she bargains for when she signs on as a temp: her first assignment is to work for the Fates, three sisters named Tabby, Georgette and Dimity. As might be expected, the heroine ends up meddling with the destinies of people she knows, and the results range from disastrous to fortuitous to hilarious. The novel introduces some priceless characters including Fate Georgette, characterized as a frazzled suburban mom, and office mascot Arachne, who is still bitter about being turned into a spider by Athena. However, other members of the cast, namely Ilana's best friend, Heather, and Ilana's soon-to-be-wed older sister, Dyllin are sketchily drawn. The story grows cluttered with too many subplots regarding Ilana's past life in Africa, friendships with fellow temps and current love triangles. Cameo appearances by various gods and goddesses add more complications, especially in the final scene at Dyllin's wedding. Nonetheless, the novel's energy level remains high. The book's imaginative (if somewhat strained) plot twists and sharp-witted exchanges between characters will likely amuse fans of slapstick comedy. Ages 12-up. (June)

THE WIZARD, THE WITCH AND TWO GIRLS FROM JERSEY
Lisa Papademetriou. Penguin/Razorbill, $8.99 paper (240p) ISBN 1-59514-074-3

Papademetriou (M or F? with Chris Tebbetts) sends up both teen chick lit and high fantasy in this comical page-turner. Bookish Veronica Lopez and vapid Heather Simms clash over the bookstore's last copy of an assigned novel, Queen of Twilight. Veronica's read it, but needs a new copy for reference; Heather needs it to pass. When the clerk's scanner misfires, the tussling girls literally tumble into the novel. Heather promptly, mistakenly dispatches Twilight's heroine, Princess Arabella, and the girls decide that their only hope of returning home rests with Heather assuming the Princess's role—she must free the peoples of Galma from the evil Queen's dominion. Papademetriou dabbles mischievously with stock fantasy characters and plotting. Other supporting characters joining the company: Strathorn, a Gandalfian wizard bent on restoring powers diminished by the Queen's stranglehold; Chattergee, a randy squirrel with an enlarged ego and a yen for Veronica; and Doggett, a stalwart "Kiblar" elf (who, lacking his clan's baking prowess, loyally serves Strathorn and Heather). These plus the Queen and her evil sisters, soldiering shrubberies, haughty but helpful Sylvan elves and more, jockey for readers' bemused attention as the company goes from one confrontation to another. Well-read Veronica namedrops furiously: Tolkien, Narnia and Redwall crop up as she (having read Twilight) helps Heather navigate the complex plot. And readers will appreciate watching shallow Heather grow up and into her role as "The One." Enjoyable as both spoof and tribute. Ages 12-up. (May)