Too Much Magic

One night, eight-year-old Jeff refuses to eat his broccoli, and it vanishesin its place is a hot dog. Older brother Bill finds it's not the last ""magical'' incident; Jeff has found a shiny cube that makes all his wishes come true. When the boys wish for money to pay for their father's birthday present, they learn that the cube is not conjuring up the items they want, but ``teleporting'' them from one place to another. Their wishes are affecting the entire town! A new coach at school has a cube, too, and he asks the boys to give theirs up. Part of a government project gone awry, the cubes were never meant for private use. The Stermans' first collaboration, written with a light touch, is far-fetchedespecially the technology that explains away the magic. But quibbles are tempered by the many believable characters. Coach, especially, is compassionate and three-dimensional, a welcome departure from most government types depicted in books. Ages 8-12. (March)