The Party's Over

Hallie has spent her senior year in the center of the social whirl, organizing everything: dances, cheerleading, the yearbook and more. Unlike most of her crowd, however, Hallie has never been interested in continuing with school. When autumn comes, her friends go off to college, leaving Hallie to face the consequences of her lack of direction. Lonely and dispirited, she drifts into a destructive relationship with the town's bad boy. The girl's life gets back on track when she puts her talents to use running the office at the local marina. Although readers may have difficulty believing that such a consummate organizer could fail to plan for her future, Hallie's story is convincing nonetheless. Cooney avoids pat solutions, leaving the likable heroine to solve problems in her own inimitable way. Ages 12-up. (Apr.)