ROD RIDES HIGH

Chuck full of information about planes and flying, this story in-a-light-vein concerning a boy with an aviation ""complex"" should answer the steady demand for pre-teen aviation fiction. Rodney could never keep his eyes on the ground while a plane roared overhead, and when he got his new bicycle, he raced out to the local airport every day to gape at the planes and to help Mr. Sloan, Scotty the brooding mechanic, and the scornful young student pilots. In spite of his father's violent hatred of planes Rodney continues to visit the airport, concealing his activities from his family. The matter is out in the open after an exciting ride with a visiting ""ace"" and some conflicting stories. The problem is finally solved through the intervention of some of his friends at the airport and some psychology for father. The portrait of Rodney's father as a good-hearted but fumbling neurotic gives Rodney an very Charles Addams aspect, but the dialogue and narrative are fresh and entertaining. Plane-minded girls will like this too.