SWEET MEMORIES STILL

When Shelby has to postpone her birthday party to go care for her ailing grandmother, she is angry and pouty, and even more annoyed when the elderly woman gives her an old-fashioned camera. In spite of her bad temper, Shelby is captivated by her grandmother's old photo albums and stories about long-dead relatives. When the house burns, along with the photos and all of her other possessions, Grandma comes to live with Shelby's family, and Shelby tries to make up for her loss by drawing pictures based on some of the old photographs. From Kinsey-Warnock (Wilderness Cat, 1992, etc.), an unusually facile set of characters and plotting. It's a wholesome story, but devoid of suspense and unsatisfying. Shelby's swings between affectionate behavior and petulance will make it hard for readers to like her, or even know her; they'll cringe when she starts yelling in the church parking lot about how shy she is. Once Grandma's house burns down, everybody learns a lesson: Shelby gets over her fears, becomes less selfish, and grows closer to her grandmother; the townspeople rebuild Grandma's house; and Shelby's father resolves to stop smoking.