The Potter's Wheel

The rich texture of Johnston's writing gives this story of Laura and her kin immediacy, incorporating themes of family, self-discovery and love into a moving novel of depth and intricacy. Laura attends the family reunion at her powerful and charismatic grandmother's new home. Gran's ``home'' is a town newly restored to showcase art, music, antiques and memories. Laura and her cousins Sophie and Beth spend the summer with Gran, each discovering a new part of themselves and understanding better their family's complexity and instability. Sophie, with her carefree, European lifestyle, delicate Beth who conceals her desire to abandon dancing, and Laura, who discovers she is strong and more like her grandmother than she had ever expected, are some of the fully realized characters in this witty, potent offering. Ages 12-up. (April)