Caletti, Deb. Honey, Baby, Sweetheart.

CALETTI, Deb. Honey, baby, sweetheart. Simon & Schuster, Pulse. 308p. c2004. 0-669-864744. $6.99. JS

To quote from the review of the hardcover in KLIATT, May, 2004: We are all susceptible to the honey, baby, sweetheart lure--weak even though part of us knows a particular romance is dangerous. Ruby is the narrator, and she starts by telling us about seeing the motorcycle belonging to a handsome rich boy named Travis, and how this changes the summer after her junior year in high school. She can't resist Travis and the thrill of riding fast sitting behind him racing through the dark. So she sneaks out, she lies; then Travis reveals the truth about himself: he is a risk-taker to the extreme, breaking into people's houses, stealing. Ruby knows he is bad, and she thinks what he is doing is wrong--but it's almost impossible to resist him and the excitement of loving him. Two other love stories are happening concurrently. Ruby's mother, a wonderful character--she's a librarian, after all--finds it almost impossible to resist her ex-husband, the father of Ruby and Ruby's brother. Ruby has seen her mother accept her father back, time and time again, being used and discarded. When Ruby's mother discovers Ruby's difficulties getting rid of Travis, the two form a game plan to get over these men. Part of the plan is to keep busy, and one of the ways to keep busy is to be involved in a book discussion group of elderly people who meet regularly.

This may seem boring on the face of it--but these folks are outrageous in many ways and certainly not boring. One of the members, Lillian, who has had a stroke, has been separated from her soul mate, a famous writer she knew when they were young. When he finds out Lillian is sick, he urges them to bring Lillian to him in California where he will take care of her So, Ruby, Ruby's mother, and the group kidnap Lillian from the nursing home and manage to get her safely to her lover in California--several days away by car--partly to prove to themselves there is such a thing as love. Caletti fills the pages with wonderful images, sharp dialog, and memorable characters. This is longer and more involved than most YA novels, but many YAs will enjoy every bit of it. Caletti is also the author of The Queen of Everything. (A National Book Award Finalist.) Claire Rosser, KLIATT