Twelve Days in August

For 16-year-old Todd O'Conner, the summer has been relatively carefree, what with sexy Kai for a girlfriend and an auspicious year ahead playing varsity soccer. But upsets occur when Alex and his beautiful twin, Rita, move to Todd's Vermont town. Todd's attracted to Rita--and Kai notices. Meanwhile, Alex turns out to be a star soccer player--and another teammate, Randy, up to now the coach's favorite, gets nervous about his own position and decides to blackball Alex. Randy says Alex is a ``faggot'' and that ``anyone who even looks at Alex is a fag.'' Todd, like the others on the team, follows Randy's lead, albeit with misgivings. Eventually, though, he concludes that Alex really is gay and avoids him, because ``being gay is weird.'' Then the (unsurprising) truth about a favorite uncle emerges, and Todd reexamines his prejudices. Murrow ( Fire in the Heart , also about the O'Conners) starts off well, commanding attention with her engaging, high-caliber writing. But Todd's personal dramas lose their impact; and Alex's sexuality remains unconfirmed, an evasion that shortchanges the reader. Ages 12-up. (Apr.)