TERRI SCHLICHENMEYER The Bookworm Sez Advertisement

Does the routine of your week - driving the same route, eating at the same restaurants, doing the same work - give you comfort? Are you delighted with how each day is nearly identical to the one before? Are you happy with the way life unfolds?

Or is "happiness" sadly out of the equation?

Fiona Sweeney has wanderlust. All her life, she's been unhappy, unsettled, wanting to make a difference.

In the new book "The Camel Bookmobile" by Masha Hamilton, Fi chooses to make a difference to others and to herself.

All her life, Fi was a restless one but now the itch was worse. There were so many opportunities not taken in her life, too many missed chances.

Everyone knew Fi was unsettled, but they were concerned when she signed on to work with the Camel Bookmobile.

Was literacy so important that she had to travel to Africa to see it achieved?

Matani, the teacher in the village of Mididima, Kenya, was happy to see camels trudging over the dirt every two weeks, because he liked the American with the unkempt hair, and he liked to speak English with her. Matani never felt completely accepted by others in the village because, back when he should have been bonding with his age-group, Matani was in Distant City, getting an education.

But the books come now and Matani is hoping that a son will be the next happy arrival in his life.

Kanika was glad to see the camels, too, but for a different reason. Kanika longed for bigger things, and the camels meant escape. She wanted to leave Mididima to become a teacher like Matani.

She, too, felt unaccepted, and her only true friend was Scar Boy. She knew she could trust him with her longings because no one but she ever talked to Scar Boy.

Scar Boy had a secret of his own, and he knew it would bring dishonor on his family and his village.

Now some books are missing, the village elders are concerned, and the gods are angry enough to withhold rain. Can Fiona save Scar Boy from disgrace and save the Camel Bookmobile program, too?

So you want to go on an exotic vacation this year, but you don't have the money? Spend a few dollars and pick up "The Camel Bookmobile" instead.

Author Masha Hamilton's writing is so vivid that you'll feel the Kenyan heat emanating from the pages, you'll feel dust on your arms, and you'll want some water to quench your thirst.

I liked how this novel unfolds from the viewpoint of several characters, each with hopes and dreams they dare to imagine. This is one of those books that you want to pass on to your friends immediately after you close the back cover.

If you or your reading group is looking for something get your vacation jump-started, this is a story to find.

For your first summer book, "The Camel Bookmobile" should get you over the reading hump quite easily.

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"The Camel Bookmobile" by Masha Hamilton c.2007, HarperCollins; $24.95 320 pages.