Amazon.com (ISBN 0440227615, Mass Market Paperback)

Teens are always fascinated by the idea of running life on their own, free of parental interference. But what happens when reality sets in--when the laundry piles up, the sink overflows, you run out of money for food, and your little sister starts getting very sick? In A Door Near Here, winner of the annual Delacorte Prize for Best First Young Adult Novel, Heather Quarles shows readers that "no parents" is no fun. The mother of the four Donovan kids has taken to her bed and bottle, only stumbling out of her pigsty of a room occasionally in search of more vodka. Katharine, the eldest at 15, tries to keep her brother and sisters clean and fed and in classes, but things are slipping out of her control--especially when 8-year-old Alisa decides to run away from school in search of the kingdom of Narnia. Katharine can't turn to their cold and selfish father for help, so the four siblings cling to their secrets--terrified that an adult, seeing beneath the appearances they are desperately trying to uphold, will alert Social Services. When a kindly teacher begins to ask questions, Katharine panics and lashes out with an accusation that could well destroy this concerned man--only to be met with an act of breathtaking forgiveness. Both teens and adults will find the poignant resolution of this compelling novel utterly engrossing. (Ages 12 and older) --Patty Campbell