3 JUNE 1966, Page 25

The Stumpfs, by John Onslow (Cape, 18s.), is about a

wizard who has the immediacy and also that swiftness in appearing and vanishing which appeal so much to the child's timeless sense of reality. Stumpf, the wizard in question, has all the necessary contact with concrete things which, in an important way, confirms his true existence. With Magpie Corner, by Paul Berna (Hamish Hamilton, 18s.) we are right back to everyday things—in this particular case, to cars and filling- stations. But even filling-stations can have their mysterious aspect, as Paul Berna shows in this novel, which is best suited to the twelve- or thirteen-year-old boy.

ELIZABETH 1 ENN INGS