Radio Fifth Grade

Korman ( A Semester in the Life of a Garbage Bag ; Don't Care High )tackles the topic of student-run radio with characteristic lightheartedness. Benjy hopes for great things for ``his'' show, but circumstances conspire against it: a stubbornly silent parrot from their sole sponsor could mean the end of their funding, a new teacher assigns so much work that Benjy and his coproducers don't have time for the show, the school bully is muscling in on their airtime in order to read his truly bad creative writing, and their faculty adviser, addicted to SF novels with titles like Vampire Slave Monsters of the Planet Garafraxa , simply tells them to solve their problems by themselves. Like his earlier work, Korman's latest is feelingly written and earns a place with the best middle-grade fiction; more than a romp, it has genuine charm. Ages 9-12. (Aug.)