TAKEN BY STORM

In this debut novel, after a belief-stretchingly unexpected hurricane kills high-school senior Michael’s parents while on a diving vacation, he’s sent to his grandmother’s in Washington. There he encounters Leesie, a devout Mormon targeted by every obnoxious boy in her small school, mostly because of her determination, following church rules, to remain “morally clean” until marriage. The narrative alternates between his grief-stricken yet hormone-ravaged point of view, in the form of his “diving log” (an overworked gimmick), and hers, through her poetry and Web chat. His sexual enthusiasm seems implausible given his disabling level of grief. Angst abounds, sex drive periodically besting self-control, as the stock characters, hunky boy and driven girl, seek resolution. Possibly of concern is Michael’s use of apparently hyperventilation-like deep breathing—“venting”—to free dive, a technique that may be dangerous for the inexperienced and is sometimes connected with shallow-water blackout and drowning. Teens seeking a dose of religion and romance may enjoy this superficial tale, but a warning to untrained swimmers would be welcome. Many readers may want to just swim by this mundane effort. (Fiction. 12 & up)