Avery, Bastian, Lola, and Dani make for an interesting team. The four neighbors live on Cedar Street (sometimes called Strange Street), and they glowboard together on a team called the Sardines. Every week, they meet to play games and discuss how to beat their rivals, the Grackles. But as the biggest glowboarding event of the year approaches, strange things start happening to the Sardines: they've discovered they can communicate telepathically with one another and can move things with their minds. These powers, which are out of control at first, slowly become manageable and seem to have come from some alien force. But are these aliens peaceful or dangerous? The story, interspersed with government reports from a mysterious group called the DGE, serves up adventure and intrigue in a near-future world. Equal parts Animorphs and Jake Maddox Sports Stories, this is a fine contemporary middle-grade sf story. Recommend it to sports lovers and fantasy readers alike.

Ormsbee (The House in Poplar Wood) sets her latest story in Callaway, Tex., where a mysterious substance called Component G--glow--was discovered decades earlier to commercial success. It powers glowboards (for one application), and allows the four Sardines, a glowboard team from Cedar Lane (called -Strange Street- following the appearance of an unexplainable phenomenon), to compete against their obnoxious and well-funded rivals whose sponsor, the head of Gloworks, keeps them well-supplied with the newest in glow technology. When the Sardines discover that they possess telekinetic powers and can hear each other-s thoughts, they feel sure they can win an upcoming glowboard competition, but a government agency plans to use them as weapons to end a terrible war being fought around the world. Though the complicated plot and multiple third-person narratives slow the lengthy story-s pace, the four protagonists have compelling challenges: controlling their newfound abilities, training for their upcoming race, and navigating familial issues. The tale picks up toward the end, when the kids use their collective powers to stop the real enemies, and the idea and execution of glowboarding is great fun. Ages 8-12. Agent: Beth Phelan, Gallt & Zacker Literary Agency. (Jan.)

Gr 5-8 This original sci-fi novel for middle-graders introduces the Sardines, a team of four friends who must deal with their newly discovered telekinetic powers as they practice "glowboarding" for the annual Glow in the Park competition. Their Texas town is where the mysterious substance Component G (commonly referred to as "Glow") was discovered, and though it isn't believed to be powerful enough to use as a weapon in the ongoing global war, it fuels their glowboards and the town's economy. Glow's connection to their powers, and to alien beings who attempt to communicate with them, drives the story's action. The point-of-view shifts among Dani, newcomer Avery, and twins Bastian and Lola as they navigate common problems (strict parents, estranged family members, bullies, crushes) while also working to master their powers, save themselves from exploitation by the government, andin the endrescue the planet itself from the "light beings" who believe Earth should be destroyed. VERDICT Readers who enjoy getting lost in alternate worlds will appreciate this lengthy novel. Recommended for libraries seeking to bolster their science fiction collection. Laurie Slagenwhite Walters, Brighton District Library, Brighton, MI