SHANNY ON HER OWN

by Lael Littke ‧ RELEASE DATE: Oct. 10, 1985

L.A. punk meets Idaho hunk in this lively, humorous follow-up to Littke's Trish For President. Partly because of the Great Dog Food Caper, and partly to get her mind off the tattooed lifeguard at the beach, 15-year-old Shannon (Shanny) is sent by her parents to stay with her young old great-aunt Adabelle on her ranch in Wolf Creek, Idaho. Shanny has also been dispatched to help Adabelle get ready to move into a retirement home. Witty, bright, and resourceful, Shanny arrives in Wolf Creek complete with purple hairstyle, punky wardrobe, nose jewel, and a set of drums. She immediately falls for handsome Thor Jorgensen, a nice guy who's bound to steal the hearts of readers as well. At first, Shanny's ""uniqueness"" raises the eyebrows of the town's rather insular adult and teen community. She agonizes over Thor, who seems to prefer the bland company of simpering, blond, phony Twyla. Shanny also worries about Adabelle, who ""talks"" to her dead husband and spends a great deal of time among yellowed memorabilia in the attic. However, Shanny soon wins friends and influences people, simply by being herself; it's a self she learns to value. She comes to appreciate the down-home qualities of her new friends, takes an active part in the town's Pioneer Day activities, with alternately triumphant, hilarious, and disastrous results, and eventually wins Thor's love, Shanny finally realizes, too, that Adabelle's behavior is actually an expression of her fierce attachment to her home and the happy past it represents. The ranch, Shanny understands, is where Adabelle belongs. Readers will find Shanny an engaging heroine, easy to identify with as she struggles to answer that adolescent question: ""Who am I?"" There are many interesting, likable characters here, who augment this well-plotted and enjoyable outing from Littke.

Pub Date: Oct. 10, 1985

ISBN: N/A

Page Count: -

Publisher: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich

Review Posted Online: N/A

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 15, 1985

Categories: FICTION