On the Edge: Stories at the Brink

Readers drawn to this book's provocative title and jacket or to Duncan's (I Know What You Did Last Summer) reputation for suspense may be a little disappointed by the mixed bag of short stories found inside. Often straining to express the preordained theme of being ""on the edge,"" the 12 selections offer eclectic interpretations but usually follow similar formats, mostly tracing an adolescent's response to a shocking event. Author commentaries following each work of fiction help fill in gaps in the story lines, providing needed insight into characters and circumstance. Pieces strong enough to stand on their own literary merit include Gail Carson Levine's ""Pluto,"" which convincingly relates the frustrations of a ""good"" girl competing with her flamboyant, rebellious sister for their parents' attention; and Graham Salisbury's ""The Ravine,"" in which a boy is prodded by his friends to make a dangerous jump but comes to realize that he is in control of his own fate. The hardest-hitting story, Terry Davis's ""In the Valley of Elephants,"" combines folklore with gritty realism to express the sad heritage and the terror of a 17-year-old mother fleeing her native Laos. Readers may do well to skip to the second half of the volume, where the more accomplished fiction appears. Ages 12-up. (June)