The Private Worlds of Julia Redfern

The heroine first seen in A Room Made of Windows comes of age in this fifth book about her life. Julia, now 15, comes to terms with her father's death by writing about him, which in turn contributes further to the healing process. She wins the lead in her high school production of Romeo and Juliet, and experiences the exhilaration of dramatic performance. Julia even falls in love for the first time and, most importantly, matures in her understanding of those around her: her mother, the stepfather she has never accepted and her beloved yet fallible Uncle Hugh. Julia is an exceptionally sensitive, reflective character, and this novel embodies the culmination and fulfillment of those qualities. Julia's first love relationship is somewhat sketchily and idealistically renderednot entirely believable. But this is a finely realized exploration of the turbulence and headiness of adolescence and of the challenges and rewards of creative expression. Ages 11-up. (April)