VALENTINE TO A FLYING MOUSE

Tammy Collins feels like a nobody because her father, who left a year ago, hasn't been in touch with her since; her pain and confusion lead to name-calling, lying, and stealing. A disabled bookstore-owner and Tammy's older sister help her to restore her faith in herself and make amends. The plot's sound but flawed by a clumsily handled fantasy subplot about a flying mouse and by unlikely motivation (readers are asked to accept that fourth graders believe in monsters and aliens; that an estranged couple- -absent serious pathology—would allow a year to pass without any contact between father and children; and that paraplegia can be overcome by force of will); the story is also cluttered with unnecessary incidents and with a message—``Believe in yourself''- -that's tediously overstated. (Fiction. 7-9)