Wonderful Me

Heidi Rosenbloom of Just Be Gorgeous is back, but her romantic batting average is still zero. After recovering from her unrequited love for a homosexual man in that book, Heidi now must avoid the chaste but persistent attentions of her English teacher. Mr. Moss begins to woo Heidi with poetic, anonymous notes, until she recognized his handwriting (which she had seen, of course, on her corrected papers in class). By the time Heidi falls for this romantic soul (so handsome that Heidi has trouble believing he really loves her), Mr. Moss's sadistic aunt appears on the scene and cows him into psychotic behavior. It's a shocking ending, and readers will hope that this most likable of heroines will have a chancesomedayto soar the way she was meant to. The range of emotions Heidi experiences and expresses are beautifully played; not only does she learn to make out properly, she also begins to believe that perhaps she is wonderful, after all. A Charlotte Zolotow Book. Ages 12-up. (Apr.)