WAYSIDE SCHOOL IS FALLING DOWN

Lawyer-turned-author Louis Sacher had fun writing this sequel to SIDEWAYS STORIES FROM WAYSIDE SCHOOL, and Lionel Wilson (another children's author) clearly enjoys reading it. The nasal, slightly nerdy quality of Wilson's narration intensifies as he portrays child characters; fortunately, this tone amuses young listeners, and since each chapter features a new story and character, the book is not hard to follow, though all Wilson's kids tend to sound alike. Zapping from chapter to chapter, the book is cheerfully plotless and full of things-you'd-get-sent-to-the-principal-for-doing--it works more through accretion of detail than development. But for children happily receiving ample servings of silliness, that appears to be fine. J.C.G. (c) AudioFile 2003, Portland, Maine [Published: APR/MAY 03]