Who Can You Trust?

Girls who have met free-spirit Rockett Movado through the Purple Moon CD-ROM games she stars in or on-line at this company's Web site will find her every bit as animated in the debut tale of the Rockett's World series. Rockett's attempts to fit in at Whistling Pines Junior High backfire and the self-described ""total new girl in the entire eighth-grade"" finds herself in an uncomfortable gap between cliques. When she gets her hands on an incriminating photo of the way-cool Nicole, who victimizes Rockett in several nasty pranks, this heroine is determined to expose her tormentor's lies about spending the summer in Paris. But will she listen to her classmates, who warn her against crossing the all-powerful Nicole? Though Day inescapably bows to some adolescent caricatures and keeps this a one-issue caper, she hits the bull's-eye with her portrayals of middle-schoolers' angst and propensity to blow dilemmas out of proportion. And the jargon here is credible enough to make any parent wince--and any teen reader nod understandingly (""Oops, my bad. Sorry...,"" apologizes Rockett to a friend when she knocks over her books). In a more articulate moment, reflecting on the remainder of her so-far bumpy school year, the girl vows, ""It's going to be a smooth ride, up, up, up from here."" There's every indication that her series will soar as well. Due the same month is the second installment, What Kind of Friend Are You? Ages 8-12. (Aug.)