Quiver River

Two issues--what defines ``manhood'' and whether it means having sex--are humorously examined in this YA comedy/mystery. Ricky and his best friend, Nate, are stuck doing maintenance work at Quiver Lake for the summer following 11th grade. Nate ``scores'' with a college girl by pretending to be in college himself, something Ricky will not do. Their conversations about this and other events, by turns boastful, funny, ruminative demonstrate the boys' vulnerability as they anchor the book. A parallel story, a mystery connected to a local Indian tribe, gently suggests a less tumultuous passage to manhood than that being experienced by Ricky and Nate. Sexually frank, their talks deal with topics of concern to many teenagers and avoid pat answers. This direct confrontation of a potentially difficult topic--combined with humor and suspense--make this novel by the author of The Silent Treatment a winner. Ages 12-up. (Oct.)