Lost Summer

Twelve-year-old Lydia is the quintessential unhappy camper, stuck for the entire summer at a sleepaway camp in the Catskills; she knows that ``nothing good is going to happen.'' Her bunkmates don't get along, with super-competitive, sadistic Carla picking on the nonathletic, easily bullied Karen, and Lydia wants to stay out of the fracas. Despite her tough, detached attitude, however, Lydia is suffering over her parents' recent divorce, certain that her father has rejected her. These emotions surface in a variety of convincing, often surprising ways after Karen persuades Lydia to invite her father to the camp's Parents' Weekend. Though at first acquaintance Lydia's fellow campers seem one-dimensional, their characterizations grow more nuanced as Lydia gains insight into herself and the world around her. At the same time, Lydia's own plight becomes more complex as the author opts for realistic outcomes instead of easy solutions. From start to finish, Feuer (Paper Doll) displays an intuitive understanding of the ebb and flow of pre-teen friendships. Ages 12-up. (Apr.)