In Armageddon Summer, Yolen and Coville address tough religious, social, and family issues with honesty and sensitivity. While they depict teenagers and children who are victimized, they are sympathetic to the adults who are responsible. Characters like Marina's parents, Jed's father, and Reverend Beelson appear rounded, motivated, and understandable. Within that sensitive context, the authors broach problems of teenage pregnancy, abortion, alcoholism, and AIDS. They also raise questions about religious cults and fundamentalist ideology. The novel includes scenes of violence and parental neglect, but the authors depict their teenage characters in salutary terms of achieving personal growth and social awareness.

Marina's story begins with hard-hitting issues of unwanted teenage pregnancy and habitual infidelity. Myrna Marlow quit high school because she was pregnant with Marina. She rejected an abortion at the insistence of Marina's father Harmon, who wanted children very much. Through knowledge of her mother's past...