The Taxi Navigator

Intimate knowledge of real-life New York taxi-driving by first-time novelist Mosher is crucial to building the atmospheric setting in this story of a nine-year-old boy, Kid Kyle, whose Uncle Hank literally drives him away from trouble. While Kid's parents wrangle with marital problems, Uncle Hank takes Kid driving and skating. On one such outing they befriend an old woman, Marcella, who identifies herself as a witch, and who in turn introduces them to Lydia and seven-year-old Ruby, also alleged witches. The witchcraft element remains in the sphere of self-description; the magic here isn't hocus-pocus, but in the friendships that keep Kid warm and safe as his parents' marriage shatters. While some of the story careens down scary roads (Kid's dad is a drunk who hits his wife and says he's ""sick of that kid"") or roars off improbable cliffs (in the end, Kid and the others hop a ship to Morocco), the central message, about the power of love to get people through hard times, is winningly told. For example, a street corner Santa, picked up in the cab, listens to Kid talk about his parents' divorce, then wipes his glasses and replies: ""I have helpers all over New York-in all five boroughs-who keep an eye on all the children to see who's been naughty or nice. And they told me . . . this divorce is not your fault. Not one bit."" For all its eccentricity, the core of this story is solemn and wise. Ages 8-12. (Oct.)