Dove Dream

The summer of 1963 proves to be full of adventure and self-discovery for Native American Eleanor Derrysaw when she leaves her parents, who are on ``the verge of another breakup,'' to go stay with her vivacious Aunt Anna. Affectionately nicknaming her 13-year-old niece Dove and treating her more like an equal than a child, Anna keeps ``her foot always pumping the accelerator of life.'' Eleanor builds up enough self-confidence to work at the diner where Anna waits tables, to embark on an Ojibway vision quest, to research her own Irish/Chickasaw heritage and to seek out the boy whose smile ``melts her heart.'' Readers may find themselves wanting to know more about Eleanor's relationships with her parents (her father is alcoholic and her mother an invalid), her peers (little is mentioned about Eleanor's friends at home) and the late grandmother who sometimes appears in Eleanor's dreams. Anna emerges as a convincing mentor, yet the reasons for her reluctance to enter a second marriage with loyal boyfriend Troy remain unclear. Although conflicts and resolutions are dealt with only on a surface level, this first novel has its share of poetic moments and succeeds in paying tribute to Native American philosophies. Ages 10-14. (Apr.)