Going to See Grassy Ella

``This is the true story of how my sister and I got kidnapped and broke up an international drug ring.'' So opens this wild caper of two siblings who leave their home in Ohio for New York City. Their objective: to locate Graciella Bujold, a putative miracle worker whom 12-year-old Peggy Jean (``Peej'') believes will help cure her from cancer. With their parents conveniently away at a conference, narrator Annie and Peej begin the adventure with surprising ease. The trouble starts in the city, with the girls' arrival at a sleazy hotel. When their backpacks are stolen, they become embroiled with Ivory, the blue-haired daughter of a drug lord. From Shea Stadium to the modest home of ``Grassy Ella,'' the girls are involved in a wild chase as Peej, mistaken for Ivory, must try to outwit two clumsy kidnappers. While some of the logistics fall together too conveniently and while Peej's condition is at odds with the high action, the story maintains its appeal by virtue of its fast pace and the poignant nature of the girls' quest. Peej indeed overcomes her illness (unlike her real-life model, the author's sister), but Lance wisely includes chemotherapy as part of Peej's recovery, also suggesting that the determination that brought Peej to Grassy Ella may have had some healing power of its own. Ages 9-up. (May)