TV-made adaptation of Betsy Byars' young adult novel stars Kristy McNichol, Johnny Doran and Sparky Marcus as three outcasts--troubled, interesting kids--who cross paths when they come to stay with an elderly foster couple. They learn truths about themselves and about friendship: how to find it, how to keep it. Kristy McNichol is the surly, mercurial Carlie, and her tough, tomboyish attitude never seems put on; the role isn't a big departure from McNichol's 'Buddy' on TV's "Family", though Carlie isn't a daddy's girl: she's a wiseacre, an alienated kid who can't see that she pushes people away. Why writer Jim Inman and director Richard Bennett felt the need to pat the characters on their collective heads like puppies at the end may be one reason this afterschool drama wasn't more successful. The courage to tackle the subject of foster kids is definitely here, but the follow-through is plastic-coated.