Lost Girls Adrift

An improbably incompatible crew of six sets sail for a week-long cruise in this first volume of a new series. There is a good deal of bickering among the girls, who range in age from 11 to 14, and in temperament, from ice-cold Allison--who is obsessed with her appearance--to outgoing Sarah--who smothers her younger sister, Annie. Also on board are timid, homesick Libby, and Shawn, a loner and aspiring artist. Attempting to keep peace is the sailboat's patient skipper, Huzzy, a native of the islands where the cruise takes place. But survival rather than squabbling becomes the girls' main concern when a sudden storm sinks their boat, and they take refuge on a deserted island. Lapses in credibility aside, there is ample drama in the novel's plot and in Aber's writing style to hold readers' attention. Yet the finite number of characters and the limitations of the setting may leave one wondering how the action can be sustained in subsequent volumes. Ages 8-12. (July)