On My Own (Diary of a Teenage Girl: Caitlin, Book 4)
Grade 7 Up-In this addition to the series, Caitlin, a devout Christian, begins college and meets her bold and brazen roommate, Liz. This mismatch provides the backdrop for Caitlin to seek God's help and guidance. Her fundamentalist attitudes prevent her from dating, kissing, or even allowing any kind of openness to new friends and situations. Expressions are odd and dated: "the fur did fly" when two girls fight over a boy; arguments lead to "cussing"; arriving at a square dance, Caitlin squeals, "we three arrived in high spirits." Liz's mom is portrayed as a distraught woman; she sobs about her prayers that a good Christian girl would straighten out her sinning daughter. Meanwhile, Caitlin and her old friend Josh enter a pre-engagement covenant (not SWAK) to eventually marry. Carlson's heavy-handed tone turns this diary into a fundamentalist treatise, not a novel to inspire and savor.Linda Beck, Indian Valley Public Library, Telford, PACopyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.