Hostilities

Macdonald ( The Lake at the End of the World ) uses her native New Zealand and current homeland of Australia as the backdrops for nine Twilight Zone -ish stories that range from spooky to only slightly offbeat. Young heroes and heroines--usually placed in remote locations (campsites, farm houses, etc.)--find themselves on the edge of danger as their notions of reality are challenged. While some of the selections include traditional horrors in the form of seances, soul-switchings and skeletons, other, more subtle stories explore how perceptions are colored by deep emotions. The title story, for example, examines the way a girl's growing resentment of her new half-brother affects her reasoning. ``At the Old Roxy'' traces an adolescent shoplifter's quest for beauty in her crumbling, chaotic world. This book may not leave readers quaking in their boots, but it does offer a number of promising situations and a smattering of surprising conclusions. Ages 12-up. (Feb.)