Flyaway

First-time novelist Landalf debuts with a sadly believable account of the destructive power of drug addiction. Fifteen-year-old Stevie’s mother has always been her own person, a free spirit who works as a dancer at a nightclub and has a very hands-off approach to parenting. But when she goes missing for days, Stevie’s aunt Mindy takes her niece in, pushing Stevie to help get her mother into rehab. Angry and in denial, Stevie resists admitting that her mother is a crystal meth addict, hoping things will go back to “normal.” Meanwhile, Stevie’s social life starts to mirror her home life, with her only friend, Tonya, starting to get into meth as well. Stevie’s journey to find her own path and accept the truth about her mother doesn’t hold any major surprises, but feels authentic. A none-too-subtle subplot in which Stevie spends time working at a bird rehabilitation center with school bad boy Alan, who’s a lot kinder to birds than he is to people, underscores the message that not everyone can be saved. Ages 14–up. (Dec.)