What would you do if you suddenly discovered you had a half sister and she's only a few months older than you?Cadie's life is pretty great. Sure, the mixed-race teen's relationship with her Latina mother could be better, but Cadie and her white dad get along well, and her mom is busy with her little brother, a cello genius, anyway. But when Elizabeth, a white girl who is just a few months older than Cadie, comes to live with the family, relationships start to deteriorate pretty quickly. For one thing, Elizabeth is the outcome of her dad's past infidelity. Plus she goes to church every week, unlike the rest of the family, who fall along the "free-spirited hippie" end of the spiritual spectrum. Also, Cadie's longtime crush finds Elizabeth quite charming. Can Cadie find distraction and solace in her friends, her drama class, and her new potential flame? Rosinky's debut offers up an extremely diverse cast of characters who interact with vivacity and authentic emotion. A backdrop of theater quotes and scenes, including a healthy dose of Shakespeare, gives the story a sweet connection to the acting world without feeling unnatural or overbearing. A complex tangle of plotlines finally resolves itself in a neat package, perhaps a bit too neat, but that's a small nit to pick. An excellent read. (Fiction. 14-18)

Gr 9 Up-adie, 15, has always looked to her father, who helped her develop a love for the theater, as the one person she can always trust to be there for her. As of late her mom, who is also the principal of the Friends school she and her 10-year-old brother Josh attend, hasn't been. She's been spending more time catering to Josh's future as a concert cellist than to anyone else's needs in the family, and Cadie can't remember the last time her parents have both spent time with each other or with the whole family. The ties that bind have been taut, and when the family finds out about Elizabeth, her dad's unknown daughter, the strings are almost torn to shreds. To avoid conflict, Cadie finds solace in the school's drama club. When she lands a lead role in the latest production opposite the tall, dark, and mysteriously handsome Zephyr, she is elated but not prepared for the strength of her attraction. Even more surprising are her thoughts of how the staged kiss they share in one scene, should be more than staged. Agnosticism, Ahimsa, and atheism are addressed in a nonbiased and balanced manner, as are discussions of LGBTQ issues, interracial marriage and dating, and biracial children. The overabundance of topics covered, however, leaves little room to fully submerge readers, and the exploration remains surface level. VERDICT Recommended for large YA collections.Sabrina Carnesi, Crittenden Middle School, Newport News, VA