Adeline Street

Williams picks up where she left off at the end of Kelly and Me, when 11-year-old Leah Orton is left to cope with the sudden death of her younger sister, Kelly, victim of an aneurysm. A highly observant narrator, Leah relates her grief about this tragedy, relating, for example, the family debate about celebrating the first Christmas after Kelly's death. ``I just don't think we're being fair here. Fair to Kelly,'' Leah tells her grandfather, who helps her realize that Christmas-and everything else-``is just gonna keep on coming.'' Leah is attractively strong-willed: preparing for Christmas, she picks out the perfect gift for Kelly-then gives it to a fellow shopper who has been insulted by a nasty cashier; she challenges Preacher Johnson when he mouths pieties about suffering and the will of God; she stands up to a close friend's abusive mother. She mourns her sister fiercely, and the heat of her emotions transmits directly to the reader. Throughout, unexpected moments unsettle the narrative in realistic ways, so that the affirmative ending to this novel not just believable but uplifting. Ages 8-12. (Mar.)