First Wedding, Once Removed

Depicts thirteen-year-old Pokie's friendship with her older brother and the changes it undergoes when her brother falls in love

No 13-year-old girl could ask for a more companionable older brother than Pokie has in 18-year-old Gib. He has imparted to her his fascination with aircraft and flying, and some of their happiest hours are spent at the local airfield dreaming about the day when Gib will become a pilot. The summer ends; Pokie begins high school, and Gib goes off to college. Pokie is disbelieving and hurt when Gib finds a girlfriend at college, and jealous when Nell comes for a long holiday visit and monopolizes Gib's life. By the time of the couple's wedding, Pokie is able to sort out her feelings and attitudes, to accept life's inevitable changes, and to appreciate the constancy of real love and friendship. Her parents and grandmother aid in the process with understated guidance and a matter-of-fact acceptance. Pokie tells her experiences during this pivotal year in her own snappy style, looking back from the vantage point of maid of honor. As in Say Goodnight, Gracie (Harper, 1988), Deaver's conveyance of interpersonal and multi-age relationships is especially strong and vivid. While this novel is directed toward a slightly younger audience, it will also appeal to older teens who are looking for light reading. --Katharine Bruner, Brown Middle School, Harrison, TN
Copyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Though Pokie misses her older brother Gib when he leaves for college, she is confident that their special relationship will survive unaltered. The discovery that Gib has fallen in love--and plans to marry--leaves Pokie jealous and confused. But in the days prior to the wedding, Pokie is (somewhat mysteriously) reconciled to her soon-to-be sister-in-law. This rather slight plot line stands in marked contrast to the wrenching events of Deaver's first novel, Say Goodnight, Gracie. Her snappy dialogue, which provided such a welcome counterpoint to the tragedy in her previous work, here seems more jittery than witty. The writing and the subject matter combine to give this novel a strangely old-fashioned air, reminiscent of Fifteen or Sister of the Bride. The unfortunate jacket art, depicting a saccharine wedding scene, will add no appeal. Ages 10-14.
Copyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc.