First rate story of late 19th century in an impoverished South, of an orphan girl brought up by a group of hovering and anxious relatives, of her friendships and school experiences, of her final coming to grips with the responsibilities of life, equipped with a fiery, impetuous temperament. The trend in girls' books, praises be, is away from the stained glass window goody goody, and Miss Knox has carried this new approach back to a girl of an earlier period. Pasty finds life a series of conflicts, and gets her final jolt into meeting life on her own grounds, through a conservative school for genteel maidens. Good psychological novel for the teens -- and a first rate story with all the ingredients, skilfully blended. One of the outstanding books for girls this year.