JED'S JUNIOR SPACE PATROL

Kids accustomed to science fiction TV or comic books might find this tame stuff, but for those satisfied with sci-fi props in a standard easy-reading form, it has a smooth mix of elements that seem to be current--chief among them a loyal robot companion, this one in the form of a boy-sized teddy bear ""programmed,"" Jed's mother tells him, ""to take care of you and to be your friend."" Teddy arrives after Jed, who lives in a space ship on some alien planet, has answered a cry for help and rescued two motherless little ""cogs"" (a little like cats and a little like dogs), then had the rare animals taken away for study by officials. (The cogs ""talk"" in thought waves, but only Jed can hear them.) Jed finds Teddy a poor substitute, but the two hit it off when Teddy helps him steal back the cogs. As for technological wonders, a required ingredient, ""Jed was amazed"" when a tickertape-like strip of paper comes out of Teddy's nose with directions for finding the cogs' cage. Finally, with a woman ""commander"" on board searching for the missing cogs, the animals save the ship by sensing an approaching starburst and warning Jed of the danger--thus proving to all that Jed, Teddy, and the cogs belong together. So: Teddy and the cogs are semi-cute, the ending out of a pattern book, and the space setting just for flavor--but it all hangs together and works at the intended level.