The Trip

Any child who's had to move to a new neighborhood can sympathize with Louie, the main character of "The Trip". Feeling lonely on Halloween, the boy creates a city scene from construction paper and an old shoebox. As the title of the book suggests, Louie takes a night-time "trip" back to his old neighborhood by pretending to fly his toy plane there. As he wanders the familiar streets he encounters some strange individuals. He runs away, but they catch up with him. Luckily, a familiar feature on one of them clues Louie in on their identities. One of the things I enjoy most about Mr. Keats' books are his believable characters. Young readers can easily relate to them and the different situations they are placed in. What makes Keats' stories even more wonderful is that they are infused with charm and a hint of the imaginary, which are emphasized by his lovely paint and collage illustrations. Readers who liked Louie in "The Trip", can see him in "Louie" and "Regards to the Man in the Moon."