THE MUM-MINDER

Jacqueline Wilson never fails to deliver a perfect story from the child's point of view. Sadie's mum is a baby-sitter (child-minder) for several children. When she's hit with the flu, kids and parents alike feel her absence. As Sadie and the perplexed parents band together to keep the kids occupied for several days, they come to greatly appreciate the hard work of the child-minder. Aldred sounds great as tiny children, harried parents and snooty grandparents. She takes us along as the children wreak havoc in a police station (where one tyke insists on calling a stern sergeant "daddy"), help office workers cope without a paper shredder and droolingly visit a chocolate shop. A very funny story reveals some real truths. S.G.B. © AudioFile 2000, Portland, Maine [Published: OCT/NOV 00]