Everything Is Not En

At 17, Michael seems to have everything. His parents and he enjoy a comfortable lifestyle, including a summer house at a beach community called Braden's Port. His father plans to make Michael a partner in the family jewelry business one day. But Michael yearns to set foot outside his sheltered existence. He wants to try to earn his own money and decides he wants to become a social worker, not a jeweler. In one dramatic summer, Michael takes steps toward achieving his goals. Against his parents' wishes, he takes his first jobas a busboy at a restaurant. As Michael gets a taste of the real world, he learns some hard lessons about life. But he is able to handle them and uses them to strengthen himself and his plans for the future. This neatly turned novel manages to weave together a number of themesfamily, self-assertion and relationships, among others. It is told with warmth and a keen understanding of the choices people make. Ages 12-up. (March)