The MAGIC OF MYRNA C WAXWEATHER

From School Library Journal Grade 3-5 The key to believable fantasy is grounding the fantastic events in a realistic setting. The McKechnie School, where heroine Bertha is a new fifth grader, is not likely to be recognizable to most readers. Some of the rules are: no talking, walking, scratching, or sneezing. A typical cafeteria menu consists of rolled squid cakes, peas in mustard sauce, and hot milk. Quite against her will, Bertha has emerged as a teacher's pet and is named Clean Plate Monitor on the occasion of the new superintendent's visit. Bertha's fairy godmother pops up to assist her. Unfortunately she does not use the old-fashioned method of casting spells, but instead ``points the way with whatever simple means we have and let the distressed help themselves. It makes them stronger in the long run.'' The theme of independence and self-sufficiency is valid but baldly stated rather than emerging from events. This book is average at its most uninspiringnothing particularly bad about it, but nothing particularly good either. A far better choice is Fifth Grade Magic (Dutton, 1982) by Beatrice Gormley. Lisa Smith, Cold Spring Harbor, N.Y.Copyright 1987 Reed Business Information, Inc.