Talk to Me — Carol Dines

Buoyant, poignant, absorbingly real, Carol Dines writes with humor and unflinching insight in six stories and a novella that capture many voices, among them Lise, 15, whose Dad's marriages mean too many mothers; Wes, who escapes the eyes of his small town for the glories of Paris; Pete, a decent kid who learns that locker-room talk can have painful repercussions; and Holly, who brings her own special meaning to the term boy crazy.