I AM NOT A SHORT ADULT!

The casual format of the Brown Paper School series, which seemed hit-or-miss in Burns' math entry (1975), might be just what's needed to make the all-round guidance manual palatable. Unlike most such authors, Burns doesn't lay down a line of platitudinous answers; in fact there are no answers here at all. Aside from some easily digested background bits--survey reports, historical briefings, legal notes--this is mostly questions: What special rituals do you have in your family? If you were a teacher, what would you do about kids who don't have pencils for a test? Is it right that the money you earn belongs to your parents? Do you think TV shows life as it is? How do people in your family decide what to watch? Sometimes--do you like to be surprised on your birthday?--it begins to sound like an uncoded preference test. But it's easy browsing, and a likely lubricant for group discussion.