Round the Bend

Every day Deirdre comes home from school, heads right for her bedroom and stays there till dinnertime. Lying on her bed, she summons up an ongoing daydream of a breathtaking horse ranch where she is the boss and faces life-and-death decisions at every turn. But real life doesn't seem to work in this fantasy way. Confused by her anger for her parents and an adult world that seems ridiculous and transparent, Deirdre's ``escape'' sessions escalate until one day she ``accidentally'' sets fire to her bed. When the burns on her foot heal, Deirdre is sent to a home for troubled adolescents, and there must contend with a whole new set of problems. It's hard for the reader to like Deirdre at first, and there is just not enough background included to explain her anger and dissatisfaction. But the girl's gradual efforts to come to terms with her feelings constitute an absorbing journey, and Dale's terse, unsentimental style eventually captivates the reader. Ages 10-up. (June)