LLEN AND THE GANG

An almost-teenager finds summer in sweltering New York City dull going until a few fast-moving teenagers ""befriend"" her. When she learns that she is being used as a ""junior moll"" in minor thefts, she retreats to the hot, sticky depths of the Project playground. Soon Ellen is thriving on the children-- guiding them in games, etc.-- and a few boring months turn into rewarding ones. The author of The Janitor's Girl (1956, p.8, J-8) has captured a humid city summer on paper;a tale which is mainly for city dwellers.