Youngsters share thier views of two tales; When pet snakes get lost; A Boy and a Boa, by Abby Israil. Pictures by Kevin Brooks. New York: The Dial Press. $8.95.

By , age 9

This was a different story. I had never read a story about a boy with a pet snake, and a boa constrictor at that! I learned a lot about boa constrictors. They are not poisonous. They don't bark and wake people up like dogs. They don't need litter boxes like cats. And they only eat once a month. They eat mice but not spotted mice. And they are not slimy, either. Martin, the 10-year old boy in this story, went to a pet store with his father and bought Nigel to be his pet boa constrictor. Martin's mother didn't think that was such a great idea! Neither did the neighbors or Martin's friends.

MArtin invited his friends to come and see Nigel and hold him and pet him so they wouldn't be afraid of him anymore.

Then Martin put Nigel in a bowling bag to take him to a nature program at the library. Some boys grabbed the bowling bag without knowing a snake was inside. The boy who opened the bag in the library got a big surprise. igel got loose in the library. It was funny. Martin and all his friends were trying to find him. They found a picture of him in the Xerox machine. The girl who finally found him said she saw a "bookworm" crawling along the shelf.

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It was a great story. It was exciting. I liked the picture of Martin in his house holding his pet, Nigel, and talking to him. Oh, yes. Martin's Mom finally did like Nigel.

A Mother's Comments: I prefer stories about cats, dogs, or the silly animals in "The Acorn Quest" [reviewed next]. It's not that I'm afraid of snakes, you understand. Robin Pappas

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