Lucy Russell, Centerstage #01: Lucy in the Wings

Thompson (The Mudpack and Me) introduces an unusually endearing heroine in this first novel of her Lucy Russell, Centerstage trilogy. The eponymous Lucy offers a frank and frequently funny first-person account of her turbulent first months in eighth grade.She admits that she is jealous of her new friend, Valerie, who, in addition to being kind and beautiful, is the star of the soccer team (Lucy was cut at tryouts) and is chosen to play Snow White in the school play (Lucy is cast as Grumpy). To make matters worse, Valerie (through no fault of her own) is at the root of a rift between Lucy and her longtime best friend, Sarah. But Lucy's levelheadedness prevails and--with some help from an elderly woman whom she visits in a convalescent home, a child actor she meets through her mother's work and Valerie herself--gets her relationships with both friends back on track by novel's end. Aside from Valerie's well-nigh unbelievable perfection, much here is very real. Thompson conveys the importance of maintaining one's perspective--and sense of humor--during relatively minor but seemingly overwhelming rough times. A second volume, Stardom and Stinkwater, is due in April. Ages 8-12. (Mar.)