In Your Dreams

First-time novelist Neenan does a neat twist on Cyrano de Bergerac in this wry tale about a teen convinced that he is too ugly to attract girls, despite overwhelming evidence to the contrary. Narrator Hale, 15, friendless since the family moved from Manhattan to suburban Washington, D.C., becomes obsessed with the relationship between his older brother, Tom, a boring jock, and bright, beautiful Sheri. After composing an ardent letter for Tom that starts the romance going between the two, Hale ``helps'' some more by sending Sheri another letter on his own, meanwhile phoning her in secret to get quotes for his school newspaper articles. Obtuse Hale, in love with Sheri, doesn't see that she prefers him to Tom. And punkette Clay, who bails Hale out of some tight spots, literally has to throw herself at the nincompoop before his shell cracks (along with a few ribs), and he realizes that her interest in him is more than platonic. Punchy prose and realistic dialogue flesh out a lively cast of characters, whose actions and emotions are sure to strike a sympathetic chord in many readers. Ages 12-up. (May)