Such is the life of 16-year-old Dallas now that she's been confined for six months to a juvenile detention facility for girls. Dallas used to love "skating" with her rebellious friends--shoplifting, hot-wiring cars, and purse-snatching--but she never expected to be caught with a gun. After being peer pressured into holding up a convenience store (her pals promptly disappearing when the authorities show up), and abandoned by her father who refuses custody, Dallas's world changes forever. In the rehabilitation center she must adjust to shared living quarters, structured schedules, lectures on drugs and sex, and countless volatile personalities. But amid all the chaos and tension and rules, Dallas also finds nurture--perhaps more than she ever received from her cold dad and absent mom.

Author of Invincible Summer, an ALA Best Book for Young Adults, Jean Ferris paints a vivid portrait of the girls' facility, complete with fiery adolescent tempers, lost souls, and small but precious hopes for different lives. Dallas's voice is particularly poignant--young, introspective, and honest about the likelihood of her rehabilitation. Rather than forcing a cheery ending, Ferris keeps it real, leaving Dallas standing in the doorway on the day of her release, suitcase in hand, wondering what's next. (Ages 13 to 16) --Brangien Davis