The Canadian young adult novel "The Maestro" by Tim Wynne-Jones foregrounds the relationship between imagination and subjective agency. While Burl uses his imagination at the beginning to protect himself from his abusive father, his fantasies become dress rehearsals for small performances that allow him to try on new identities and exercise…

Considers arguments for and against the use of videotape productions of children's literature as motivators to reading. Criteria for the selection of videos that are successful adaptations of books are identified and discussed in the context of specific video productions. (four references) (CLB)

Maintains that the primary contribution of Wolfberg's book is its integration of various research literatures and its rich case studies, though its noncritical stance toward prevailing diagnostic paradigms for autism might be a shortcoming. Suggests that the book's reference to developmental stages is remarkably traditional for a text that…