THROUGH A RUBY WINDOW

Storyteller Klein lends a folksy flavor to these sweet, brief reminiscences, but in the end a childhood spent on Martha's Vineyard proves too similar to childhood everywhere. The title refers to the author's yearly ritual of making beachplum jelly with her German-born mother, an activity that calls up lots of metaphors (``Folks here on the island guard their beachplum locations with the fervor of pirates holding treasure maps'') but little plot; this and several other image-packed stories, like ``The Flying Horses'' (about the town's merry-go- round), would be perfect for reading aloud—and this book could appeal to young adults. The more personal and serious tales here are the most involving: ``Fanny'' is an Austrian friend of the family who arrives every summer and thrills the dreamy four-year- old Klein by talking to her of fear, love, and the universe; in ``Packages Home'' a visit from her German aunt drives home the urgent need for the care packages her mother has been sending back to Germany. The cutely named ``Negotiating the Narrows'' details her experiences of prejudice on the island, including being called a Nazi by schoolmates and having a family friend tell her not to hang around with a black boy. In a book of generally light themes, such stabs at political commentary stand out. But Klein's rationalization that she has learned ``to keep a perspective on the community as a whole, which I adore, without forgetting its imperfections'' rings false; integrating this material into the many cheery tales of making mischief with a childhood friend- -spotting nightcrawlers reproducing, shooting starlings with a BB gun and then cooking them for lunch, and so forth—might have given them more punch. Apparently, a ruby window works much like rose-colored glasses.