TINGLEBERRIES, TUCKERTUBS AND TELEPHONES

Saracen the Shy lives on Breakfast Island with his adventure- loving grandmother. When she learns that the pirate Gabriel Grudge- Gallows has escaped from prison and is lurking in Antarctica, she sets out after him, leaving Saracen alone. In the course of her pursuits, she discovers the tingleberry and sends it back home; Saracen cultivates it and, overcoming his shyness, is immediately brought in contact with the world. The berries become immensely popular, and he becomes rich. Eventually, the pirates come to the island, and various storylines converge in a big chase; everyone lives happily ever after. As usual with the works of Mahy (The Other Side of Silence, p. 1434, etc.), a summary hardly does the book justice. The plot flies forward, extremely light and extremely tight, a combination that could only be the work of a virtuoso. Always freewheeling, always graceful, Mahy creates a kind of lyrical slapstick that is warm, inventive, philosophical, and exciting—all at once. Staermose makes his debut with droll black- and-white drawings that fit the story perfectly. A real must-have. (Fiction. 8-12)