Grant's strength as a writer shows clearly in her ability to parallel Jessie's breaking free from the prison imposed on her by her sister's death and Helen's coming to terms with her deadly disease. She is also impressively able to make her characters speak and think like the otherwise typical middle-class teen-agers they are.

Appropriately, Phoenix Rising is written in short paragraphs and contains many of the flip one-liners that make up today's teen-age banter. As a result, the book is filled with irreverent, smart-mouthed remarks that bring a joking, upbeat quality to an otherwise grim subject.

Finally, Grant seems to have a kind of fascination with the difference between the enormity of the universe and the small particulars of daily life.

Whether or not the great expanse of space that both Helen and Jessie sense surrounding their lives is God remains an unanswered question. Early...