One Way Romance

Suffering from a too-literary father (he's a rare book dealer) and a bad self-image, Emily chooses running and carpentry as her outlets for self-expression. But it's through her father's books that she first meets Cleve Edwards, who goes to her school, and Emily falls in love. But Cleve likes Emily's best friend Amy; Amy likes Bart, and Bart develops a crush on Emily. To be near Cleve, Emily relegates herself to the role of his best buddy, and ends up as Bart's date (double dating with Amy and Cleve) for the Spring Fling. The dance is a disaster, but in the next few days, all it takes is a little reshuffling for Emily to get Cleve. Emily has a wonderfully wry sense of humor; she's a lively heroine. But the book could have used fewer plot conveniences (a serious guy like Cleve writes the school newspaper advice column, but Emily has to help him ask his mother if he can date; Bart falls for Emily just in time for the dance), and instead given the characters a chance to act on their own. (12-up)