DON'T KEEP THIS A 'SECRET'.

Byline: Evan Henerson Staff Writer

THE AFTER-SCHOOL SPECIAL genre is alive and flourishing in ``Little Secrets,'' a harmless and sporadically engaging coming-of-age flick about a 15-year-old violinist, her circle of friends and the secrets they can and can't keep.

That ``Little Secrets'' landed a PG rating instead of a G is kind of astounding. Director Blair Treu wears his ``family film'' mantra like a Legion of Honor cross, boasting via his script notes that his film won an award of excellence at the Heartland Film Festival. Objectionable content? Thematic thorniness? Pshaw! The edgiest moment is the utterance of the phrase ``drunk driver.'' ``Little Secrets'' may well be the first film in motion picture history in which a woman gives birth while wearing jeans.

Not that there's anything wrong with gentleness. Anchored by a couple of young actors who are as believable as they are cuddly, ``Secrets'' largely overcomes the gooeyness of Jessica Barondes' script. And 14-year-old Evan Rachel Wood - who also stars in the just released ``Simone'' - should find her mug on teen-zines faster than you can say heart-covered stationary. Not that there's anything wrong with that, either.

Wood plays Emily, a popular but slightly eccentric 15-year-old who lives for her music. While her cronies are at summer camp, Emily saws away at her fiddle in preparation for an upcoming youth symphony audition. As a side business, she operates a ``secrets-keeping'' booth, acting as a kind of confessor to the neighborhood kids, safely storing their broken objects and dispensing advice.

One moppet brought home a cat without parental permission; another is conducting a clandestine Internet impersonation scam with a boy, pretending to be her older sister; another steals from his father's wallet.

At home, Emily is feeling a bit brushed aside what with her over-40 parents (Jan Broberg Felt and Rick Macy) expecting a baby. Emily strikes up a friendship with a new neighbor, Philip (Michael Angarano), a bright but lonely 12-year-old whose cute older brother, David (``7th Heaven's'' David Gallagher), is conveniently off at tennis camp.

As it happens, David has a secret. So do Philip, Emily's parents, and her violin teacher (Vivica A. Fox). Come to think of it, everybody in this movie is hiding something, with Emily carrying around the biggest of all - a double whammy in fact. The movie's point, as one character rather heavy- handedly points out, is that the keeping of secrets - big or little - can tear people apart, just as spilling your guts can bring about unity.

No, this isn't profound stuff, but it's safe and heart-warming enough that the 15-and-younger set should love it while their parents won't be bored. Keep an eye on Angarano (who plays Jack's son on the TV sitcom ``Will & Grace''), a young man who looks like he may have gifts beyond heart-throbbery.

Wood, meanwhile, is a winning girl-next-door who accomplishes what most ladies her age - secret-bearers or otherwise - probably can't: She can carry a movie.

LITTLE SECRETS - Three stars

(PG: mild thematic elements)

Starring: Evan Rachel Wood, Vivica A. Fox, Michael Angarano.

Director: Blair Treu.

Running time: 1 hr. 47 min.

Playing: Wide release.

In a nutshell: Gentle coming-of-age film with talented young actors.