Stranded in Harmony

Suddenly restless with small-town life (""I felt as if I'd just awakened from a long sleep""), high school senior Lucas Cantrell is anxious to move on with his life somewhere other than Harmony, Ind. Unfortunately, the rate of his progression may seem as slow for readers as for him. While the smooth narrative provides many insightful moments, nearly all of which emerge from Lucas's involvement with two atypical members of the community, the momentum lags as Lucas meanders through the fall semester trying to find the right time to break up with his cheerleader girlfriend and to admit his disinterest in football, the sport that has made him a local hero. The pace does pick up considerably in the last few chapters, as Lucas's growing friendship with Allie, a '60s radical, coincides with personal loss, and Lucas feels a ""sudden clarity"" that dispels his ennui. While YAs bored with the high school scene will relate to Lucas's case of senioritis, there's less for them to sink their teeth into here than in Shoup's first book, Wish You Were Here. Ages 12-up. (June)