Mass, Wendy. Leap Day.

Little, Brown. 212p. c2004. 0-316-53728-4. $16.95. JS

It's February 29th, and Josie Taylor is turning 16 but having her "fourth" birthday. Her family goes all out to celebrate her special leap year day, and Josie is looking forward to taking her driver's exam, nabbing the part of Juliet in the afternoon's play auditions, and heading out to the lake for the super-secret sweet 16 initiation ritual. Josie tells the story of her birthday in a series of first-person chapters, from the time she gets up in the morning to 11:59 that night. However, she's not the only one who gets to speak.

Mass adds quite a twist to an otherwise straightforward tale by pairing each of Josie's chapters with another told from the various perspectives of all of the people around her. Readers get to see beyond Josie's point of view and find out the motivations and inner thoughts of the people she interacts with throughout her birthday. Adolescents are usually much more complex people beneath the masks they wear in public, and Mass's teenaged ensemble deals with sadness, insecurity, jealousy, and even the trauma of unplanned parenthood. What could be a lighthearted romp through a 16th birthday turns out to be a rite of passage, not only for Josie, but for many of her friends as well as they reflect on their lives as of February 29th, and their futures. Michele Winship, Asst. Prof., Capital Univ., Columbus, OH

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.