Lily Watson is twelve. She's in sixth grade. She's about to serve on a jury for a murder trial-all because of a new law saying a child must serve on the jury when a trial concerns a child victim. She'll be out of school for a month, and that means she'll have to go to summer school. And That Is So Unfair.Fortunately, the jury experience isn't all bad. The jury stays in the Menagerie Hotel, where every room is decorated like a different animal. They get a behind-the-scenes tour at a local zoo, home to Priscilla, the world-famous gorilla artist. Lily even makes friends with a glamorous movie star who happens to be on the jury. But nothing--even the fact that the hotel is part of the Tyle-0-Tropolis, an incredible entertainment complex-changes the fact that the jury is witnessing the trial of a man who has been accused of killing Perry Keet, an eleven-year-old boy who disappeared one day at the zoo. Lily has her own thoughts on what happened to Perry, and if the real story isn't revealed in court, she's going to find out for herself what happened.Told through journals, memos, illustrations, newspaper articles, and court documents, "Trial By Journal" is both a funny mystery and an insider's look at the workings of a jury trial, by the author and illustrator of "Regarding the Fountain" and "Letters From Camp." Distributed by Syndetic Solutions, Inc.

The sisters Klise once again use the format they mastered in Regarding the Fountain to cleverly recount Lily Watson's experience as the "first juvenile juror in the state's history." The sixth grader here records her experience as a sequestered juror for a research paper assignment, in order to avoid attending summer school. With little knowledge of protocol ("I have NO idea how to do footnotes or a bibliography, so you can forget about seeing any of that stuff"), Lily puts together a montage of her own journal entries plus newspaper clippings and formal and informal letters to and from jurors, as well as maps and pamphlets to trace the highly publicized case of a classmate's mysterious disappearance from the city zoo. The mystery's unraveling is fairly predictable, but the book's hyperbolic tone, all-in-fun parodies and hilarious illustrations (all of which center around an animal motif) will keep readers involved and entertained. At times the zoo theme becomes cloying (characters' names include Bob White, suspected of 11-year-old Perry Keet's murder, and Rhett Tyle, a parasitic mega-tycoon, as well as fellow jurors Fawn Papillon, an aging movie star, Anna Conda, designer of exotic fashions, and Bernie "Buzz" Ard, a gossip columnist). This three-ring circus, with Lily as capable ringmaster, will set in motion readers' flights of fancy from beginning to end, when a "wolf in sheep's clothing" receives his comeuppance and the innocent "jailbird" is set free. Ages 8-12. Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc. From: Reed Elsevier Inc. Copyright Reed Business Information

Gr 4-6-In this far-fetched but humorous story, Lily Watson has the distinction of being the first juvenile juror in Missouri, and her teacher asks her to keep a journal throughout the experience. The sixth grader is selected to be on a panel for a murder trial and is sequestered, dutifully recording all of her impressions inside and out of court. In addition to the journal entries, fully illustrated newspaper articles (columnist Bernie "Buzz" Ard also sits on the jury), documents, letters, notes, and miscellaneous ads are interspersed throughout. Although this format will attract readers' attention, the articles, captions, and other snippets are somewhat distracting and the writing style is too contrived to sustain laughter. In the end, the innocent man is exonerated for a murder that didn't actually occur. Of course, Lily is instrumental in cracking the case and her journal is subpoenaed in the effort to bring the true villains to justice. A lightweight mystery with a precocious heroine.-Sharon McNeil, Los Angeles County Office of EducationCopyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc. From: Reed Elsevier Inc. Copyright Reed Business Information