Harry in Trouble

In the latest title of Porte and Abolafia's sensitive Harry books, Harry gets into trouble when he loses his library card not once, not twice, but three times. Harry can hardly stand to face Ms. Katz, the librarian, whose patience is beginning to wear thin. In the course of the story, Harry explains to his new friend Dorcas that (as readers of the previous books know) his mother died in a car accident when he was one year old. Luckily, Harry has a loving father and an attentive aunt who help him through his problem. Porte manages to enter into Harry's situation so fully that it is impossible not to share the boy's anxiety about the lost card, his fear of Ms. Katz and his lingering sorrow about the loss of his mother. Readers will identify with Harry and be as relieved as he is that all ends well. Ages 5-up. (Mar.)