One Thing for Sure

Twelve-year-old Dylan is deeply shocked and disillusioned when his father is arrested for stealing timber. Suddenly he must contend with the bullying of former pals and the suspicions of others in his small town that he, too, might be a thief. Then Dylan becomes friendly with Amy, a creative, funny girl who holds nothing against him. Through their friendship, this appealing first novel shows its mettle, wisely hinting at more than it says about males and females and different ways of settling scores. Gifaldi has great flair for figurative language, using it to show how Dylan sees and recreates his troubling world. Although the device is perhaps a bit overused, it helps to produce a fresh, sympathetic portrait of an original character. (9-12)