Buster the Sheikh of Hope Street

Buster Oregon Mortensen, master prankster and conjurer, returns in this hilarious sequel to Buster's World. Once again, the young Dane uses quick thinking and a little magic to contend with his all-too-pragmatic math teacher, Mr. Martinsen; Mr. Schlutter, the principal; and bully Lars. In this installment, however, most of Buster's energy is directed toward helping out with the school's production of The Scimitar of the Sheikh. When not holding up backdrops at rehearsals, the boy is riding the Copenhagen streets on his trusty broomstick steed, finding adventure around every corner. Even though Buster loses his job at the dairy for drawing faces on cream cartons and fails to win the heart of Elvira, the ``underground fairy,'' he remains undaunted. A cross between Tom Sawyer and a pre-adolescent Mary Poppins, Buster proves time and again that disappointment can be conquered with humor, optimism and imagination. Ages 9-up. (Oct.)