Thunderwith

When her mother dies, Lara Ritchie must live with a father she barely remembers and his new family in the Australian outback. Coping with the death of a loved one is fairly common in YA fiction, but here Hathorn's commanding prose breathes new life into an old chestnut. In her adoptive home, Lara is greeted with open hostility from her stepmother and young siblings. Only her father loves her, and when he is called away on business, the girl must find comfort for her constant grief. As if in answer to her prayer, a handsome dog appears out of a storm, and immediately Lara senses a bond between them--a bond inextricably linked to memories of her mother and the aboriginal stories told at school. By weaving these colorful Koori legends and the strange beauty of the Australian wilderness into Lara's struggle, Hathorn deftly injects a sense of wonderment into this intense, very real story. Readers cannot help but be swept up in the action and emotion. Ages 12-up. (May)