Spindrift

by Colby Rodowsky

A girl resists growing up by hiding from some unpleasant truths

At the beginning of summer, thirteen-year-old Cassie is witness to a disturbing sight. At a party she spots her sister's husband, Mickey, in the arms of another woman. Could it really be him? And with her sister about to give birth to their first child? When Cassie confronts Mickey, he claims it must have been his double. Though it's hard to believe him, Cassie struggles to do so with all her might - she has always adored Mickey and doesn't want to think he could do anything wrong. For distraction Cassie has the company of her good friends Megan and Tommy, along with the refuge of the Spindrift, the beautiful old seaside house where she lives with her mother and grandmother Emma. But even the security of home is threatened when Emma, who runs a bed-and-breakfast out of the Spindrift, decides she'd like to sell the house. Cassie will learn this summer that she can no longer cling to childhood to escape from the unpleasant things that sometimes happen in families.

Genres: Young Adult

144 pages, Hardcover

First published March 29, 2000

Reviews

[Marcia · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed the book more for the setting (Bethany Beach) than the actual storyline.

[Diane · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cassie sees her brother-in-law kissing another woman at a party. When she confronts him, he denies it with a lame story about "a double" and Cassie decides to forget about it. After all, her sister, Cindy, is pregnant and Cassie doesn't want to cause trouble for her. But after the baby is born, their marriage disintegrates and Cindy brings the baby back home to the Spindrift, which is a bed-and-breakfast owned by their grandmother. Cassie wants to fix things for her sister, but her brother in law brushes her off. It seems the marriage is over. To make matter worse, her grandmother has decided to sell the Spindrift, which means Cassie will have to move. Her life just can't seem to gain any traction anymore.