Writing in a less distinctive voice than in her previous novels (Moving Mama to Town; Learning by Heart), Young delivers a mild-mannered slice-of-life tale. Grace, a high school sophomore, believes that people have a slightly distorted image of her; the statement on her car's rearview mirror, "objects in mirror are closer than they appear," feels to her like a metaphor for her life. Unlike her sisters, Sophie, a high-school dropout and runaway, and Angela, who got pregnant without being married, Grace doesn't cause problems. Nevertheless, she faces some turbulence. Her father, who recently suffered a stroke, can't work any more and the family has to sell his body shop; and 30-year-old Sophie moves back home. At school, Grace is bombarded by multiplying mishaps. A wealthy new girl wants Grace (who hates parties) to hostess a "surprise" birthday bash for her, as part of a plot to attract the interest of Grace's best friend's older brother. The narrative's continual shift of focus among the subplots is jarring, with the result that the stakes always seem low. The ironies arising from mix-ups and miscommunications provide intermittent amusement in an otherwise vague story. Ages 11-14. (Apr.)
