Katie

When Katie's mother remarries, family relationships get complicated. Katie's sworn enemy Mitch Ryan is suddenly a cousin by marriage, and her secret crush Doug is her stepsister Cindy's steady boyfriend. On the advice of her best friend, Katie goes out with another boy, Scott, but he likes her more than she likes him. When Cindy dumps Doug, he asks Katie to help them get back together, and Mitch starts acting interested in her. This book tries unsuccessfully to examine many aspects of family and teen life in the '80s, from the initial reactions of the stepsisters to each other, to the question of Katie's playing fast and loose with boys' feelings. Aldridge covers some standard territory (Doug turns out to be a jerk when he spouts chauvinistic saws about girls just wanting marriage; Scott stereotypes jocks) without contributing anything new. (12-up)