CRUSH

From Conford (The Frog Princess of Pelham, p. 638, etc.), a mediocre collection of stories about dating. Characterization is paper-thin in most stories: Amy and her boyfriend Batso, whose distinguishing characteristics are that they are devoted to each other; the unfortunately designated ``Princess Di,'' who uses up boys ``like Kleenex''; and Linda, who is a fraud and a liar. ``The Gift of the Mangy,'' attempting to echo O. Henry, features two shallow kids who make sacrifices (she clips her nails, he gets a haircut) before trading gifts (a manicure kit for her, a hairdryer for him); in ``Have a Heart,'' Linda creates fraudulent charities and raffles before getting her comeuppance. When some girls decide to boost Robert's confidence in ``Metamorphosis,'' he becomes unbearably suave and licentious; for B.J., making a wish for a date in ``Two Coins in a Fountain'' is more complicated than she can predict. Conford's glibness comes through in observations that don't always match their teenage protagonists' sensibilities—``his build was slim to none''—but the real trouble is the book's stubborn lack of substance. Each piece is more of a one-joke concept than a fully rendered story, and doesn't even qualify as brain candy. (Short stories. 12-14)