Right Where I Belong

Gr 8 Up—In this novel about faith and family, 17-year-old Natalia Lopez chooses to accompany her stepmother, Maureen, to Florida from Spain after her father, who has been married twice before, demands a divorce. His view of women is chauvinistic at best. Maureen is shattered by the split and Natalia feels closer to her than she does to her biological parents as Maureen has shared her time, love, and faith with her stepdaughter. The move is difficult for both of them; Maureen feels that her family and friends will consider her a failure and Natalia is trying to deal with culture shock and her stepmother's depression. Help comes for both of them through the students and staff of the Tampa Christian School Natalia attends and where Maureen reluctantly accepts a teaching position. The situations that Maureen, Natalia, and their friends face are universal: parental pressure, relationship problems, and confusion about the future. Natalia gets over her fear of love with the help of a cute and earnest pastor's son and Maureen finds her faith renewed. Unfortunately, the writing is uneven and often stilted, and the message is delivered with a very heavy hand. McGee seems not to trust that readers will be able to understand and empathize with the characters. The ending is a little too neat and completely unrealistic, leaving the impression that if one prays hard enough everything will work out as one wishes.—Nancy P. Reeder, Heathwood Hall Episcopal School, Columbia, SC