MANIAC MONKEYS ON MAGNOLIA STREET

This chapter book finds Charlene, or Charlie, getting accustomed to a move to Magnolia Street. She misses her friends and her old neighborhood, but despite the dire warnings of her brother Sid, who alludes to “maniac monkeys” that live in trees and have carried off all the kids, Charlie soon hooks up with Billy. The two have a string of low-key, childlike adventures. They camp out in the mysterious trees, attempting to capture the monkeys; instead, they frighten their parents with their absence and wake up covered with glued-on fake fur, courtesy of Sid. Writing for a younger audience than that for any of her previous novels, Johnson (The Other Side, p. 1460, etc.) works in a more prosaic style; it lacks her usual lyricism, but is breezy and light, affectionately conveying Charlie’s penchant for landing in trouble. Her sunny outlook and the recurring emphasis on friendship may win fans. (b&w illustrations, not seen) (Fiction. 7-11)