Robodad

Shar is starting ninth grade with some severe handicaps: not only is she chubby and undeveloped, but her father is behaving like a robot. An aneurysm he suffered the spring before cut off oxygen to the part of the brain that controls higher emotions, including love and parental responsibility. So now, Shar's father is subject to fits of rage and he acts as if he doesn't love his children. Shar must look after her little brothers and her father, which makes adjusting to her changing social life even tougher. Carter offers a gritty and probing look at an unfortunate situation--a dysfunctional family. The novel is ultimately inspiring, as Shar faces estrangement from her best friend, rejection by her father and an unpleasant first romantic encounter with aplomb. Readers are left knowing that, through self-respect and her family's love, Shar will emerge from her crises perhaps scarred, but emotionally stable. Ages 11-up. (Nov.)