Moonkid and Liberty

A hippie father or a yuppie mother--that is the choice facing this novel's title characters. High schooler Libby longs for a normal life, while her younger brother, a gifted boy with the idea he is not from Earth, seems to embrace the oddness of their father. Still, even when faced with school bullies, social ostracism and poverty, the siblings discover that their decision is not simple. Told in alternating viewpoints, their day-to-day dilemmas are explored carefully and, in the end, both Libby and her brother realize that they cannot run away from their problems, no matter how appealing escape may seem. The novel doesn't break any new ground, but the problems of peer pressure and conformity are perpetually interesting. Ages 10-up. (May)