Jones, Claudia. Riding out the storm.

JONES, Claudia. Riding out the storm. Llewellyn. 234p. c2006. 0-7387-0867-4. $8.95. JS

Emily Clark, adopted as a baby, is pretty sure she knows who she is. She loves riding her horse, is a good swimmer, and feels no real pull to find her birth parents. During the first day of swimming class at school, she panics in the deep end and nearly drowns, but is pulled out by her teacher. While this is odd enough, since she has never had a fear of the water, she also begins to have nightmares and odd memories about drowning and an increasingly un-explainable phobic reaction to the water. Through regression therapy, Emily discovers that her memories are real, but not her own. They are the memories of Michael, a 21-year-old who drowned in a sailing accident well before Emily was born, setting her on the search for Michael's family; and her father, who is firm in his religious beliefs, coming to grips with the possibility of reincarnation. The story moves along well and Emily's quest to uncover her past life and the exploration of reincarnated souls keep the pages turning. There is a subplot involving Emily's best friend, Jane, and a girl who bullies Jane about her weight, but this neither adds to nor detracts from the story. Stephanie Squicciarini, Teen Svcs. Libn., Fairport PL, Fairport, NY

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.