Henkes's novelist's hand is as sure as his illustrative talents,"""" said PW of this """"touching and funny"""" book about a boy getting to know his new stepfather. Ages 8-12. (Mar.)

Gr 3-6 Wedge is ten, fat, and unhappy. He feeds his unhappiness, downing cans of instant whipped cream at a sitting. He is miserable because his mother has a new husband, a tall, skinny man ten years her senior, with a five-year-old son who is skinny too. What's worse, Wedge's new stepfather owns a miniature golf course decorated with castles, calls himself King, and wears a crown all day. All most embarrassing, but then Wedge learns that his mother is expecting another child. Wedge faces the awful realization that he is being forced into adolescence, or something. Henke's handling of Wedge's problems is masterful and shows a keen understanding of childhood. In only a few pages, readers will see Wedge grow and mature and come to appreciate his almost all-new family. Wedge's parents are refreshingly decent people who try hard, make errors, but ultimately succeed in helping to bring Wedge around. Readers are left with the impression that Wedge is a good kid who learns to adapt to life as it is. Still, there's that weight problem, and perhaps Henkes will take that up in another volume. Robert Unsworth, Scarsdale Junior High School, N.Y.