Russon, Penni. Breathe.

RUSSON, Penni. Breathe. Harper Collins, Green-willow. 368p. c2007. 0-060-79393-7. $16.99. S

In Australian Penni Russon's sequel to the novel Undine, 17-year-old Undine is learning to live with the magic inside her. Through carefully crafted flashbacks, readers are made aware of what has happened the previous summer when Undine and her friend Trout came face to face with the power she possesses. Her mother also lives with magical power, but has long since learned to repress it. Undine is not so sure that she can or that she wants to. Trout has a crush on Undine and takes a job house sitting when Undine's family goes on holiday. Using the opportunity to avoid his own family, Trout tries to make sense out of what he knows about Undine's magic and corresponds with others who maintain a belief in mystical powers. Through a series of circumstances that later prove to be more purposeful than accidental, Trout meets Maxine Haddon. Max, as she likes to be called, is 21 years old and is also searching for the magic. She uses Trout as a way to connect with Undine's magic, and it almost kills her. Trout comes to understand himself better and finds his own identity apart from Undine.

In this mesmerizing story, Trout is the real protagonist and his search to find himself stands in contrast to Undine and her desire to lose herself in magic. Sexual scenes and adult language are part of the journey. Janis Flint-Ferguson, Assoc. Prof., English, Gordon College, Wenham, MA

S--Recommended for senior high school students.