LITTLE FLUTE PLAYER

She has done some good books, but this is- we think- her best. A simple but engrossing story of a 10-year old boy, son of a small farmer in the plains of Northern India. Their livelihood depends on the grain harvest -- and Teka is proud of his assignment, flutist with the cattle, homeward bound, and with his music, giving hope and courage to the workers in the fields. This has been passed down in his family from father to son, and there comes a time when another test is put to him, and as man of the family, he must carry grave responsibility. There's a pervading atmosphere of overhanging fear of famine; the story is dramatic and suspenseful, while the perspective of a child of ten is held consistently.