The Palace of Stars

Moving far beyond nostalgia despite her 1950s setting, Lakin brings wit and verve to this intergenerational tale, spinning period details into the stuff of wonder. Amanda and her great-uncle Max enjoy their regular Saturday outings to the zoo: ``When he came to call, they walked arm in arm all the way to their trolley stop. `I'm paying for two,' he told the conductor, and tossed their fare into the box.'' After he alters their routine and buys Amanda the Scottie purse she admires in a shop window, she saves up ``for weeks'' in order to reciprocate. She plans a surprise, a trip to ``a mansion filled with velvet and gold . . . the palace of stars,'' which turns out to be a spectacular movie theater. Though the ceiling that is supposed to glow ``with twinkling stars and soft clouds that floated through space'' is an anticlimax visually, Root's muted tones mostly suit the text. As in Hugh Can Do , small narrative spots stitch together full-page images with looming perspectives and art deco borders. Lakin ( Jet Black Pickup Truck ) describes this book as ``a love letter'' to the movie theater of her childhood Saturday afternoons, and the romance of her story lingers like a fine perfume. Ages 4-up. (Sept.)