SHADOW FALLS

Spending summer as usual with her grandfather in Wyoming’s Grand Tetons, 15-year-old Annie McGraw finds memories of her adored older brother, Cody, everywhere, including in the handsome but angry brother of her unhappy baby-sitting charge, Zachary. Hooked by the suspenseful opening chapters in which Annie remembers her brother’s rock-climbing and encounters a grizzly, readers may be surprised to discover that this is really a story of moving out from the shadow of grief. Still depressed by her brother’s death, Zachary’s needs force her out of her apathy. Annie’s encounters with grizzly bears and with an old Indian philosopher help her see that there might be more to the world than what a camera sees. Well-developed supporting characters include her grandfather and his friend Darla, who introduce the idea that seniors can also have sex. Annie explores her memories of differential treatment, as the girl child, and comes to see that her grandfather loves her, too. Ryan describes the wilderness surrounding Jackson in loving detail, grounding this rich and rewarding narrative in a spectacular place. (Fiction. 12-14)