cover image Holding Steady

Holding Steady

Stephen Schwandt. Henry Holt & Company, $13.95 (161pp) ISBN 978-0-8050-0575-2

Brendon, 17, is shocked and saddened when his father Michael is killed in a car accident. His brother Ross and his mother Anne struggle to accept Michael's death, but Brendon denies his pain. He cannot cope with grief until he understands the anger and jealousy that ran beneath the love he felt for his father. When the Turners spend the summer on the island where Anne and Michael first met, Brendon is finally able to cope with his sorrow when he meets Courtney, a girl who has experienced similar kind of pain. Schwandt creates a wonderful sense of place; with vivid language he makes the island setting a compelling part of the story. Brendon has the most depth, but other characters are unique and somewhat complex, enlivened by smooth, natural-sounding dialogue. Ages 12-up. (May)