REPLAY
by Sharon Creech
Joanna Cotler Books/HarperCollins
ISBN: 0060540192
Ages 8-12
240 pages

Twelve-year-old Leo is a problem solver...at least that's the way it is in his imagination. In the world according to Leo, his talents and abilities can solve all the problems of his big, noisy family and the world. Every time a situation needs a cure, an answer or a remedy, Leo's mind kicks into replay and he sees things all over again. Only this time, Leo saves the day and no one has problems. In Leo's world, he is a Nobel Prize winner, a famous tap dancer and a winning football coach --- to name a few --- and helps his big, noisy family through the problems of growing up.

In her typical fashion of brief but meaningful chapters, Newbery Medal Winner Sharon Creech has created a charming family for Leo, full of real world drama. The family isn't charmed, however. Actually it appears as if they have a great deal of bad luck: family squabbles, broken legs, sprained knees, a concussion, stage fright and dead pets. It seems like a lot of difficulties for one family to handle, but anyone who has ever grown up in a big, close-knit family knows that the mere size of the group makes it feel like you have more than your share of trouble. But when trouble arrives, the whole family comes together. Creech has given young Leo a tool to cope with the constant strain by allowing him to live inside his colorful imagination.

Leo's imaginings are a big part of his world because more than anything he wants to be an actor. The school play, in which Leo is cast as an old crone (woman), carries Leo through all the family's mishaps. The book itself is cleverly laid out, much like the program for a play --- a life play, with Leo as the star. Creech masterfully builds Leo's school play script into the book's text by regularly reporting the ups and downs of rehearsals and performance. As an added bonus, she has provided the script for Leo's play at the back of the book.

Creech cleverly weaves a mystery about Leo's father into the story when Leo finds an old diary and some tap shoes in the attic. "When I am happy, I tap dance," says Leo's father in the diary. Leo can't believe this!

REPLAY is good story with an interesting format and a great reminder from a grandma: "...as long as there are children, there is hope." Even for a big, noisy family full of drama like Leo's.

   --- Reviewed by Joy Held

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