A rebellious 17-year-old resents her long-dead sister in this sensitive and engaging family drama. Summer knows she’s smart, but she almost deliberately earns Cs in school to prove that she’s not the same as Shannon, her apparently perfect honor-student sister, who was killed in a car accident the year before Summer was born. Additionally, Summer resents her control-freak mother, who constantly seems to compare the two girls and who has built a household shrine to her dead daughter. When her aunt gives her Shannon’s diary, however, Summer gains a whole new perspective on herself and on her relatives, learning that Shannon resented their mother just as much as she does and also seriously rebelled against her. Indeed, Shannon confronted a problem Summer didn't think possible in her family. The most pressing question for Summer, however, will be to discover if Shannon committed suicide. Deriso illuminates a complex family that, despite the faults of every member, emerges as strong and loving. As Summer reads Shannon’s diary, readers see two similar girls making different choices, especially in friends and boyfriends. The continuing diary entries create an element of suspense, as readers know the fate of the girl who wrote it. Despite their similarity, the characters of the two girls remain distinct. An absorbing story teens will connect with. (Fiction. 12 & up)
