The Sacred Circle of the Hula Hoop

Set in the '60s, this touching novel explores 13-year-old Robin's feelings about her older sister Jen. Jen is talented, fun; she is also emotionally disturbed. The story takes place in flashbacks at Christmas time; Jen has come home from college and shot herself. At home alone waiting for news from the hospital, Robin reaches back into her memory to try to understand Jen's illness. Robin is at the center of the novel--her preoccupation with religious miracles and the scrapes she gets into provide a poignant counterpoint to Jen's troubles. Good writing and characterization prevent the story from drifting into melodrama and give the telling an emotional truthfulness, as if it is being passed between friends. Ages 10-14. (Apr.)