I Love You, I Hate You, Get Lost

Spoiled romances, aggravating teachers and bothersome siblings are some of the woes humorously depicted in this collection of stories set in contemporary suburbia. Although, for the most part, the characters are cut from the same cloth and their voices are barely distinguishable from one another, their dilemmas are varied enough to carry readers gleefully through muddled affairs and mishaps all the way to the all-too-predictable resolutions. Particularly rib-tickling are the series of minor humiliations experienced by the protagonist of ``Liverwurst and Roses'' as he tries to express his growing infatuation with longtime friend Bonnie and the major embarrassment suffered by the heroine of the title story when forced to take her younger brother along on a date. The universality of the characters' day-to-day conflicts, the intensity of their emotions and their zest are sure to win more fans for the author of Dear Lovey Heart , I Am Desperate and If This Is Love, I'll Take Spaghetti. Ages 12-up. (Mar.)