Red-Hot Hightops

Kelly is a real pro when she's playing basketball at home, not in a school game. But when the team is counting on her, she freezes up. Then a mysterious pair of red hightop sneakers shows up in her locker. When Kelly puts them on she plays better than she ever hasshe's aggressive to a fault. But she agonizes over where the shoes came from, and finds out only after she decides to destroy them, because they work a little too well. She learns that they were magic, a plot device that doesn't jibe well with the realistic sportsplay. Some of the writing is simplistic, glossing over a situation or issue that would have been better depicted in a scene (""Kelly and her siblings never minded doing tasks their mother asked them to do''). All sorts of people pay more attention to Kelly's shoes than is reasonable to expect, and the answer to the mystery of her benefactor is too easy. But the book is packed with brisk, authentic action scenes on the court for which Christopher is well known, with appeal for middle reader sports lovers. Ages 9-11. (September)