Adam and Eve and Pinch-Me

A hard veneer encases 15-year-old Sara. Through a series of hardships and tragedies, Sara, given up at birth by her unwed mother, has traveled from one foster home to another. She eagerly awaits her next birthday, when she can quit school and be on her own. For now, however, Sara must adjust to yet another ``placement.'' Arriving at the Huddlestons' farm, she meets a good-natured couple and their other charges--adorable Josh, age four, and the delinquent Nick, whose misdeeds nearly destroy these individuals' attempts to become a loving family. Johnston, the Canadian author of the award-winning Hero of Lesser Causes , has an uncanny ear for her characters' voices. If the plot is not altogether credible--especially a subplot about Sara's birth mother's search for her--the players are brilliantly etched, and a hint of humor lightens the somber mood. (``I think I ate only enough to keep body and soul on friendly terms,'' says Sara). Although neither as well-modulated nor as disciplined as Hero , the novel is moving and memorable. Ages 12-up. (May)