cover image Because She's My Friend

Because She's My Friend

Harriet Sirof. Atheneum Books, $16 (192pp) ISBN 978-0-689-31844-3

When her older sister goes out of town for a summer job, 14-year-old Teresa D'Angelo begins volunteering at the hospital, where she meets Valerie Ross. Valerie has hair like Michelle Pfeiffer's and emerald green eyes, lots of money, a glamorous life--she's got everything, it seems, except the use of her leg. Shy, polite Teri envies Valerie's brashness, just as Valerie envies Teri's health and supportive family. Told in alternating first-person chapters, the novel chronicles the girls' brief, bittersweet friendship. Teri learns self-confidence from Valerie, while Teri rescues Valerie from depression. Sirof steers clear of the potential for melodrama by presenting her characters with candor, honestly assessing their jealousies and providing solid motivations for their actions. Teri's Catholic faith serves as a believable frame for her behavior; Valerie's psychological problems loom as large as her physical difficulties. These two quite different heroines do not remain intimates--a sober development that gives the stamp of authenticity to the nonetheless uplifting conclusion. Ages 10-14. (Sept.)