Hartinger, Brent. The Last Chance Texaco.

HARTINGER, Brent. The Last Chance Texaco. HarperTempest. 228p. c2004. 0-0605091407. $6,99. JS

To quote the review of the hardcover in KLIATT, March 2004: The author writes at the end of the book, "My stint as a group home counselor was short, but long enough for me to come to profoundly respect the dedication and the great sacrifices of the adults who make careers in foster care, and the amazing strength and courage of the kids they oversee." This is the story of one such group home, known as "The Last Chance Texaco" because everyone knows if a kid doesn't make it here, the only place left in the system is the equivalent of juvenile prison. Lucy Pitt is the narrator, a foster child who has known only chaos since her parents were killed in an accident, leaving her an orphan, a ward of the state. One situation after another didn't work out and now she is in an old house meeting counselors unlike others she has known. Perhaps these adults really are trying, especially Leon, who once was a foster child himself.

There is more of a family atmosphere in this place, but most of the teenagers have serious problems. Lucy is smart, but changing schools so frequently and enduring the tension of being a new girl so often, with the added shame of being a foster child, hasn't given her much of an education. She has a record of addiction to painkillers, and she has been in fights often, so she is on the edge of disaster. Other girls in the foster home are eager to destroy her and get her kicked out of the place. It's a tough situation. At school she meets a guy who she hates at first, even to the extent of getting into a brawl with him: both are put into detention and in the month-long process of having to stay after school to pick up trash, they become friends. At this point, the story develops into a mystery: someone is setting cars on fire in the street near the foster home, all are under suspicion, and it seems the place will be closed down. Lucy undertakes the task of finding the culprit and saving the home, and her new friend from school helps her out. The denouement and the final outcome are surprising but satisfying.

Lucy is a strong heroine, one YAs will quickly respect. The story is a tough one, with some strong language, but it is a believable description of what life is like in group homes for teenagers in the foster care system. Claire Rosser, KLIATT

J--Recommended for junior high school students. The contents are of particular interest to young adolescents and their teachers.

S--Recommended for senior high school students.