BREAK A LEG

Best-friend-crises and amateur theater make congenial reading for the middle-grade contingent. Fran's in sixth, and looking forward to mis-er-y this summer since Debbie's going off to camp, till she hears of a dramatics class in town. She enrolls and Finds a new friend in Veronica, a blossoming Bernhardt who, s neat-o and another in shy Nancy whom she'd always just waved at when she and Debbie were still a twosome. Andrew and Harold are also in class and also a twosome--gruesome, of course, because they're boys. . . and mischief-mongers of the worst sort. Fran's triumph on the night of the play isn't particularly a culmination of anything, but she's conquered stage fright and learned something about friendships. Innocuous, innocent scenes from childhood that hit homily happily.