THE WORST CHRISTMAS PRESENT EVER Budge Wilson. Richmond Hill, ON: Scholastic-Tab Publications, 1984. 97pp., paper, $2.95. ISBN 0-590-71430-9. CIP. Grades 3-6 / Ages 8-11 Reviewed by Nancy Black. Volume 13 Number 3 1985 May Lorinda, James, and Jessie Dauphinee, who live in a poor fishing community in Nova Scotia, are shopping for their mother's Christmas gift when the story opens. Determined not to get an ordinary present, they are looking for something extra special, when they spot the red vase. Disheartened to learn the vase costs $35, Lorinda and her friends hold counsel, deciding to earn money to buy the gift. First, it is a lemonade stand in MacDermid's gift shop, next, hasty notes carefully illustrated and packaged, and finally James starts a car wash. Some plans work better than others, and Lorinda is frantic with nervous energy until all the money is earned. Just when the reader thinks all is well, it is discovered the vase has been bought by the local troublemaker, Reginald Corkum. Kind-hearted Mrs. MacDermid contacts other gift stores and obtains a second vase. Again, it looks as if all is well, but just as they are on their way to purchase the vase Mrs. Dauphinee comments that some of the gifts in MacDermid's are terrible such as: "an ugly red vase that had a lot of seagulls flying all over it. Hideous!" After much careful consideration, Lorinda and James decide to give their mother the money to spend on herself, and everything works out well in the end. This is a lively, fast-paced book. The situations will elicit both sympathy and laughter from the reader. While there is not much character development, the personalities are human and familiar. The story, the humour, the fast pace and the ingenuity of the Dauphinees will appeal to readers interested in similar family stories. Reading it aloud and using it in booktalks should broaden its readership. Nancy E. Black, Saskatoon P.L., Saskatoon, SK.