NOBODY ASKED ME Elizabeth Brochmann. Toronto, ON: James Lorimer, 1984. 182pp., paper, $5.95. ISBN 0-88862-752-1. cloth, $12.95. ISBN 0-88862-753-X. CIP. Grades 5 and up / Ages 10 and up Reviewed by Esther Hutchison. Volume 13 Number 3 1985 May Thirteen-year-old Rachel lives on an isolated forestry lookout on Vancouver Island. Her picture of life outside has been constructed from books and magazines. When she is sent to spend the summer with relatives in a coastal village, she is frightened but curious. She observes the new experiences through the lens of her camera as she tries to make sense of what she sees. When she becomes involved, she complicates life for her new friends and her relatives with some less than subtle match-making. Her disappointment when her plans do not work out is well portrayed. Eventually she befriends a boy who is also an outsider and comes to accept her uncle's right to make his own choices. As in her previous book, What's the Matter, Girl? ¹, the author handles realistically the difficult stage between childhood and adolescence. However, this story lacks the power of her previous novel. The protagonist is introspective and will probably appeal more to girls than to boys. She shows an appropriate mixture of timidity and adventurousness as she sets out to explore her new surroundings. As she gains insight into those around her, she matures and sees her parents more realistically when they return. There is also a tentative romance with the boy she meets on the beach. The plot and setting are realistic. The print is large and the format attractive with a small sketch at the beginning of each chapter. There is much material for classroom discussion on interpersonal relationships. Recommended. Esther Hutchison, Rocky Mountain House, AB. ¹ Reveiwed vol.X/1 1982, p.14.