SEVEN FOR ST. NICHOLAS

Life in the new world is perplexing for the seven Van Donck children, particularly for Maritje who is suddenly given the responsibility of caring for her younger brothers and sisters. And here in unfamiliar surroundings, Maritje thinks, ruefully, they shall not even have the happiness of receiving Saint Nicholas, for surely he will not find his way to the new land. ow Saint Nicholas finds New Amsterdam and how Maritje, as she reaches adolescence, begins to see the virtues of her new home, makes up the basis of this believable story. Rosalys Hall, whose ""read aloud"" books and books for teen-agers have been well received has done a skillful job of integrating historical detail with homey fiction.