Surrogate Sister Summary
Eve Bunting

Surrogate Sister Summary

Surrogate Sister contains many of the qualities characteristic of Bunting's young adult fiction. It is a fast-paced, easily-read novel that goes straight to the heart of a contemporary problem; it is peopled with believable characters who face realistic temptations; and it presents a final resolution consistent with traditional morality. The story deals with the issue of surrogate parenting as sixteen-year-old Cassie Dedrick's mother responds to an advertisement for a woman to give birth to a baby for a childless couple. The focus is on Cassie's reaction to her mother's pregnancy as well as the emotional growth she gains through her relationship with Sam Danielson, a college student to whom she becomes strongly attached.

Bunting is perceptive and astute as she pictures the mercurial emotions of a teen-ager caught in a complex dilemma. Cassie has always adored her mother but is angered and disgusted by her mother's having Mr...

(read more from the Short Guide)