I already owe Paolo a debt for his painstaking work in creating the "Simon Compendium". A chance remark from him made me realise that I have compounded this debt by failing to review "Ricky Visits America" and should have done so long ago.

While the story ingeniously re-introduces a large number of characters from the "Simon" series to date - and in many ways leads on from them - it is also capable of being read as a standalone. Paolo's character-drawing is heartwarming; his narrative hair-raising, credible and (where the context permits) amusing. Loose ends are cleverly tied-up and there is (at least) one new neutering, for the best of reasons, that the boy wanted to be.

UK readers should also take advantage of Paolo's masterly explanation of the game of baseball.

C van D