Orig. published in different form by Ballantine (1989). ( )

This is a thoughtful, sometimes poignant book about family relationships, set in the USA. Shelley, who is nearly 15, narrates it; she is the middle child of divorced parents, and is gradually becoming used to her stepmother Annette. However she finds it difficult to forgive her mother for having moved out. Shelley feels that she can never live up to her more glamorous older sister Joanna - in Paris with her mother for the duration of the book - although they get along well, and she is frequently frustrated by her impulsive, generous and inventive younger brother Angus.

They go to their cousins for a big family reunion, worried about their 'perfect' cousins looking down on them, only to discover that there are cracks in their cousins' family too...

Seeing the story through Shelley's eyes works well; she struggles to discover who she is, and how to relate to people, and slowly realises that she's not just someone's sister or daughter, but a valuable person in her own right. This could be clichéd and trite, but the writing is very good, with plenty of subplots and a realism that shines through.

Recommended to anyone from the age of about eight or nine; probably not of much interest to younger readers, as it does cover early boy-girl relationships (albeit in a very low-key way) and probably particularly useful to older children/younger teens who are in blended or broken families. ( )

At a family reunion, Shelley comes to terms with her parents' divorce, her mother's absence, her new stepmother, and being the "stable" member of her colorful family. ( )