The Search

A careless night involving drinking and first-time sex lead to pregnancy for the usually sensible Claudia, 16. At a Vermont home for unwed mothers, a contract she signed releasing the baby for adoption stipulated that the adoptive parents must always remain anonymous to her. But now, a year later, Claudia reads about a spate of child abuse cases in the newspapers and becomes determined to learn of her baby's welfare. A sympathetic teacher, formerly with the home, is the only person likely to help, and Claudia runs off in search of this woman to quell the raging torment within her. Holland's ( Summer of My First Love ) novel keenly dramatizes the burdens of an unwanted teenaged pregnancy and the anguish that follows a baby's release for adoption. Her dialogue could be smoother and more natural, but she has crafted an affecting, unpredictable work that consistently holds interest. Ages 12-up. (May)