Almost Famous

Maxine, age 10, adores her five-year-old brother, whose heart murmur requires dreaded check-ups. Determined to invent something to help him, the girl embarks on several almost-successful projects. She decides that an appearance on Phil Donahue's TV show would bring acclaim and respect for her efforts, and conducts a fruitless phone-and-letter campaign to the celebrity's office. Then an application for the Inventions of Children Contest arrives in the mail. She believes it's from Phil Donahue and feels ``almost famous,'' but the rule about accepting only partnered contestants presents a problem for the newly transferred (and as yet friendless) girl. Getz ( Thin Air ) writes poignantly of the fears cast by a child's heart condition, but the thin story line is stretched too far. The (tiresome) emphasis on Donahue seems inappropriate in a children's story, and the dialogue and narrative exhibit a self-consciously cute quality (``Maybe I'm almost famous on another planet''). Maxine's spirited ambition, however, may hearten readers and convey to them the tenacity needed in pursuing goals. Ages 9-12. (Dec.)