The Time of the Cranes

On the day she lands the lead in the school play, Stacy learns that her former acting teacher has died. Madame Karpova has named Stacy next of kin and left her much of her estate. Madame's bequest sends Stacy into a bewildering flurry of activity: she throws herself into rehearsals (not surprisingly, her role is one in which Madame once triumphed), investigates the lame mystery surrounding Madame's death, begins her first romance and attempts to work through her feelings about her mother's recent death. And as if all that weren't enough, her widower father starts to date an actress who worked and studied with Madame. With so many issues vying for center stage, it is difficult to determine what this novel is really about. A cast of fully realized characters might be able to sort out the overabundance of plots and subplots, but this task is beyond the reach of shallow Stacy and her one-dimensional friends. Ages 12-up. (Apr.)