Carolyn Mott Ford (Children's Literature)
In the years before adventurous television shows and the excitement of video games, colorful adventures required a vivid imagination. This story is set in such a time when a long, hot summer stretches before Jane, her sisters Katharine and Martha and her brother Mark. When Jane finds an old coin engraved with strange symbols, she and her siblings don't realize that it is a magic talisman. Strange events begin to take place and they find that their wishes for excitement are granted, but the wishes come half true, resulting in chaos. The children practice until they have the knack for making each wish double what they actually want. They have grand adventures, which include meeting Sir Launcelot and Merlin while traveling through time. A wish closest to Jane's heart comes true before they decide it is time to pass the coin along to someone else. This old-fashioned story will be enjoyed by today's young readers. Kids have always loved magic and make-believe and this book gives them a chance to experience both. 1999 (orig. 1954), Odyssey/Harcourt Brace, $6.00 and $17.00. Ages 8 to 12.

Horn Book (The Horn Book Guide, Fall 1999)
These well-loved books retain the original illustrations but have been reissued with jacket art by Quentin Blake. The colorful covers should lure new readers to these homages to E. Nesbit. Category: Intermediate Fiction. 1999 (orig. 1954), Harcourt, 192pp, $17.00, $6.00. Ages 9 to 12. Rating: 2: Superior, well above average.