Cross commendably shatters the traditional, stereotypical female image for Chartbreaker's major character. She depicts young Janis Mary Finch learning how to hold her own among male band members and other self-serving music-business types. As a lead singer, Finch is the pivotal figure in her band's success. Cross shows the tough singer not only surviving a complex attraction to her male counterpart but eventually even equalizing her strengths with his. Lesser female characters invite thoughtful discussion of the role of women, like manager Mae who dominates her husband, Finch's mother who needs a man, and Christie's widowed mother Ida Joyce who emerges into a mild degree of feminist awareness.

On the other hand, Chartbreaker does present sensitive issues. Finch is a rebellious teenager, uncooperative at home and uninterested in education.

Finch steals from her mother and repays in a way that causes hurt. The mother's death occurs...