All That Glitters - Hardcover

Grade 7-10-Brian, 16, is not looking forward to spending an entire summer with his divorced, uncommunicative, and seemingly uninterested father. Almost as soon as he arrives at Leo's place in the Florida Keys, he discovers that Leo; his friend Nathan; and a beautiful but sullen teenage girl, Tia, are going to help an eccentric underwater archaeologist dive for sunken treasure. As the summer wears on, Brian becomes adept at scuba diving and develops a stormy friendship, then a tentative romance with the enigmatic Tia. He is unable to understand his father, and finds more in common with Nathan and the archaeologist. The plot gains momentum when the group begins to suspect that thieves are raiding a site that they believe holds a sunken Spanish galleon. A hurricane provides the climactic confrontation between Brian and Leo, which finally clarifies the man's behavior toward his son. Several major issues drive this story. Nathan and Tia are black and are forthright in talking about racism and its effect on their lives. Nathan also articulates the need in our society for strong male role modes, or as he puts it, "good men." Clearly Brian doesn't think his father fills this bill, but learns that people are not always what they seem. The main characters are fairly well developed and interesting. Little is revealed about Leo until the end when he can finally be viewed in a sympathetic light. The hurricane scene in which he dramatically saves Brian's life is a little hard to swallow but exciting. Overall, a good YA problem novel with a nice mix of suspense and adventure thrown in for good measure.
Bruce Anne Shook, Mendenhall Middle School, Greensboro, NC
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Beginning with the uninspired title, Ferris (Relative Strangers) delivers a less satisfying work than her previous books, which explore similar territory-namely, absent or emotionally distant parents. With his mother off on an extended honeymoon, 16-year-old Brian is forced to stay with his father, Leo, in the Florida Keys for a month longer than the usual excruciating two week annual visit. Remote, taciturn and slovenly in his housekeeping, Leo alienates Brian, who gets involved with a local group, led by an archeologist, in search of a sunken galleon. Brian's relationship with Tia, an intelligent but "haughty" black girl, also a diver, serves as a convenient framework for exploring some racial issues, but Ferris ultimately botches the opportunity. The facile handling of Tia's tearful confession of her jealousy "for [Brian's] skin," i.e., for his freedom from racist preconceptions, saps the scene of the power it might have had. That the tension between them should combust in this way-with Tia becoming more docile and agreeable as a result-and that the two should agree to be "just friends," are easy routes out, for Ferris, of the more difficult interracial romantic scenario. Brian and Leo's troubled relations also resolve somewhat patly, albeit against the dramatic setting of a hurricane at sea. A letdown at every turn. Ages 14-up.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.