GIRL GODDESS #9

Nine short stories from an author (Baby Be-Bop, 1995, etc.) with a gift for creating warmly human characters with wildly unconventional exteriors. Ranging from ``Orpheus,'' a fragmentary mood piece, to ``Dragons in Manhattan,'' a novel in every aspect but length, the stories feature young women in wide varieties of friendships and family structures: ``Tweetie Sweet Pea,'' not long out of toddlerdom, is already wiser about life and change than her parents naãvely suppose; a ``Blue'' imaginary companion helps La grieve when her mother commits suicide; Tuck Budd, raised by two women, discovers after a long quest that her father is considerably nearer than she thought. Desiree finds timelessly intense summer romance in ``The Canyon''; for 11 of their 17 years, ``Pixie and Pony'' enjoy a relationship closer than best friends; Emily (a.k.a. lady ivory) and Anna (alabaster duchess) disappointedly report in their magazine ``Girl Goddess #9,'' that rock star Nick Agate, ``goateed angel . . . wild demon boy . . . priest of our heart-temple,'' is taken. As with Block's novels, these small dazzlers explore enduring values and provide a diverting take on facets of contemporary teen culture. (Short stories. 12+)