Who Will Speak for the Lamb?

After suffering a nervous breakdown, famous teen model Julie moves to California to attend high school as a ``normal'' senior. But on her first day of school, she gets pulled into a demonstration for animal rights by classmate Laura and her older brother Jeff, which gains her the public attention she desperately wants to avoid. Julie takes her first faltering steps away from her mother's domination by becoming friends with Laura (who fills her in on the animal rights movement), and by paying Jeff to teach her to drive. Julie and Jeff warm up to each other, and discover that they have a lot in common. Their mothers have plans for them contrary to their wishes, and by story's end, both must make a stand for independence. At its best, Ames's ( Conjuring Summer In ) book engagingly depicts a budding relationship while emphasizing the need for young adults, at some point, to follow their own paths. The book's message about the horrors of ``scientific'' experimentation on animals is occasionally heavy-handed and intrusive, and secondary characters are painted with too broad a brush. Ages 13-up. (Apr . )