Dangerous Ground - Hardcover

Grade 5-7-- Angela, 12, spends the school year with her independent-minded Great-Aunt Hilda in Casper, Wyo., as her parents, itinerant oil drillers, travel constantly. Now, the whole family will be settling down in El Paso, awaiting a new baby. Angela anguishes about entering middle school in unfamiliar surroundings. Both Hilda and her niece take pride in keeping their feelings to themselves. Thus, when the 78-year-old Hil begins to act strangely, Angela is panic stricken and isolated. She fears that it's Alzheimer's disease. Aunt Hil surprises Angela with a farewell camping trip to Yellowstone, but her inexplicable mood swings make this a potentially fatal undertaking for both driver and passenger. It turns out that Aunt Hil has been taking someone else's medicine to relieve depression stemming from her dread of losing Angela. To tie up the loose ends, Hil yields to Angela's pleas; she will join the family in El Paso. Skurzynski provides strong characterizations and an informed, caring grasp of environmental issues with emphasis on wildlife. This is an unusually fine example of a fictional intergenerational relationship. --Libby K. White, Schenectady County Public Library, N.Y.
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