Say Goodnight, Gracie

Tragedy strikes early in Deaver's first book, and so the mood necessarily must be one of sorrow and confusion. But the impression that lingers with readers is closer to unbridled joy. The happiness friends inspire in one anotherin this case Morgan and Jimmyis convincingly conveyed and absolutely infectious. When Jimmy is killed by a drunk driver, Morgan must find her way, left with only half a friendship. The mourning process overwhelms and mystifies her, because there isn't a single habit, gesture or hobby of hers that doesn't remind her, somehow, of Jimmy. And so she is forced to either turn away from all things she holds most dear, or to learn to love them again, despite Jimmy's absence. One minor misstep: among all the wonderfully believable characters is an aunt, whose precise, uncanny judgments as a psychiatrist seem to reduce Julie's sadness to a simple textbook analysis. Julie herself proves that she is not a bundle of sumptoms, but a human being dealt a terrible loss, trying to get back on course. A Charlotte Zolotow Book. Ages 12-up. (April)