SOMEONE TO COUNT ON

The author of Mama, Let's Dance (1991) takes readers down yet another rocky road in a story of contemporary restlessness. When her mother tells 11-year-old ``Sam'' (Samantha) about their impending move, the girl embraces the idea, particularly since their destination is her grandfather's Colorado ranch. Life has disappointed Sam, yet she hopes things will work out, this time. And they do: her grandparents' welcome is warm; she finds a soulmate, learns to ride, and genuinely settles in. But Sam must choose between this idyllic existence and the instability of life with her mother. Hermes poises her main character between poles of compassion and selfishness, then doesn't make clear Sam's reasons for choosing the comfortless extreme. Though the implication is that someone to count on long distance is better than no one to count on at all, Sam's dearly bought emotional growth lacks a convincing resolution. Nonetheless, Hermes's storytelling makes an effective hook; steer those who relate to this drama on to MacLachlan's compelling, beautifully crafted Journey (1992). (Fiction. 10-12)