A LITTLE MAGIC
by Sharon Heisel
Are there ghosts haunting the hill above Jessica's house and terrifying her young cousin? Or are they poachers? Jessica is planning a truly teen-age 13th birthday party with boys and dancing. Meanwhile, cousin Tim worries her with tales of ghosts he's seen nearby. Tim looks for spells as protection; Jessica wonders whether poachers are after an old gold mine. The party is marred when Jessica's typical teen-age gaffe hurts a friend's feelings. There's a showdown in the hills: the poachers turn out to be marijuana growers; the two cousins rescue the wounded friend. Not always plausible, but the plot is tight, the characters interesting and differentiated with Jessica's prepubescent emotions well caught. (Fiction. 8-12)