With her bird's nest of hair, thick neck, and uneasy stare, Dawn Jewel's caricature jumps off this work's cover. But this wisecracking 15-year-old from Canard County, KY, has more to worry about than her looks. She's fighting a war on two fronts: against the mining company that's all but separated her community from its home, Blue Bear Mountain, and against the enemy within, Dawn's family in crisis. Since her father died suspiciously, her mother's gone AWOL, leaving only Dawn's grandmother nominally in charge of her and her brother. Uncle Hubert is primarily a bad influence, employing Dawn to sell moonshine. Then the family faces possible homicide charges when someone is killed in a car accident while Dawn is driving. Only Aunt June provides respite, encouraging Dawn's artistic talent, cooking her a decent meal, and taking her dancing. Despite these troubles, Dawn's stream-of-consciousness commentary about her family is biting and funny. Throughout it all, Bilson Mountain community radio hums beneath the chaos: from the Velvet Underground to Black Flag, deejay Willett Bilson's playlist turns him into Dawn's late night crooner as, shyly, they find each other. Turns out teenagers still fall in love, no matter how heavy things are at home. Gipe's powerful sense of place will seep into teen readers' lives. VERDICT This is a killer debut of one teenager's flight from destructionstrong stuff tempered with humor and love. Georgia Christgau, Middle College High School, Long Island City, NY