CAGES

It's bad enough that Kit doesn't make the cast of the school play; when she goes home, her stepfather is drunk again. Later, seeing conceited classmate Marcia at a jewelry store, she impulsively tries to steal a bracelet and is arrested, fined, and sentenced to a period of community service at the local Humane Society. Kit's shame and humiliation increase as she lies to keep the incident secret, even from steadfast friend Tracy; worse, she discovers that her final exam in speech is to be an oral report on shoplifting. Kit's character and her distress are simply drawn but believable. The plot takes several melodramatic turns (a beloved stray is put to sleep just as Kit is arranging its adoption; her mother is suddenly hospitalized; her stepfather goes on another binge and has a serious auto accident) that make the concluding release still more effective: Tracy confesses eloquently to her class and is awarded not only an ``A'' but a coveted scholarship. Kehret pushes her message hard, but in positive ways. (Fiction. 11-14)