The Bus People

Every day, Bertram, a bus driver, makes his ``fruit-cake'' run, delivering seven severely handicapped children to and from their school. The backgrounds and conflicts of each of his passengers is touchingly related in this unique collection of stories focusing on family relationships. Vignettes dealing with each character in turn reveal how some of the students have been scarred by abusive or overprotective guardians, while others, the recipients of unconditional love and acceptance, have gained high self-esteem. Perhaps most poignant are the stories of Fleur, a foster child who has retreated into a world of science, and brain-injured Thoby, whose response to music is discovered by his devoted sister. Anderson's ability to intuit and communicate the thoughts of her characters is nothing less than remarkable. Rarely sentimentalizing or even labeling their disabilities, she provides a perceptive study of their attitudes and capacities. Ages 10-up. (Nov.)