THE GADGET WAR
by Betsy Duffey & illustrated by Janet Wilson
When Albert Einstein Jones joins Kelly's third grade, it's ``hate at first sight'': proud of her status as class inventor, Kelly meets his competitive zeal with rancor that escalates as each attacks the other with not-so-ingenious pranks involving smelly goo, food catapults, etc. But when the orange that Kelly slings at Albert hits the principal by mistake, the resourceful Albert covers for her—with the unexpected result that he gets the blame. Kelly is honest enough to tell the principal what really happened; left alone together in detention, she and Albert go through a classic disarmament, alternately dropping their gadgets into the trash one by one, and decide that ``making peace is definitely nicer than making war.'' Too broadly drawn to strike adults as funny, but the intended audience will enjoy the slapstick and may absorb the not-so-subtle message. Illustrations not seen. (Fiction. 7-10)