ANNE PITTS, SWAMP MONSTER
by Diane de Groat & illustrated by Diane de Groat
A slapstick account of Annie's experiences as star of a high school student's horror video. Hoping for a leg up into show biz, the third-grader throws herself wholeheartedly into the role of a swamp monster, even though it means working with her nemesis, classmate Matthew. During the filming she and Matthew manage to cover themselves with mud, traumatize an innocent toddler at the playground, and engage in a physical fight during which Annie bites Matthew's ear. All this and more is captured on the video, which Annie and Matthew inexplicably decide to show to their class to fulfill an assignment of presenting a biography. None of this makes much sense, but perhaps it's not meant to. Determinedly zany; not quite up to its predecessor (Annie Pitts, Artichoke [1992]). (Fiction 8-10)