MAKING WAVES

Going For It, a new paperback series, describes the students at Olympic High--hot young athletes, Olympic hopefuls, all determined to be the sports superstars of tomorrow. The series' first book, Making Waves, is the neatly told story of Donna Wilder, a newcomer to the Olympic training school. Donna, a swimmer who has already set a number of records, has been pushed along in her training by her older brother, a promising swimming star himself until a knee injury forced him to give up his dreams. Already unsure whether she wants to pursue swimming, Donna gets the opportunity to transfer from her high school in the small town of Platterkill, N.Y., to Olympic High in Colorado, and after some soul-searching accepts the invitation. At her new school, Donna finds all sorts of people and challanges: Crystal Delahanty, the ""Golden Girl"" of swimming, who tries to make Donna's life miserable; Bo Redman, a handsome basketball player who wants to be Donna's boyfriend; a coach who's willing to pit swimmer against swimmer if it will further his own career; and an unhappy student who will do anything for friends and a chance to remain at Olympic. Donna meets and overcomes plenty of challenges, but is finally faced with one which threatens to end her career (of course, it doesn't). There's more than soap opera and romance here. The characters, if stock, are convincing and sympathetic, even Crystal, the ""bad"" girl. The plot takes a few unexpected turns; the writing, aside from some oddly worded phrases, is breezy and appealing. A fast, fun read.