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Continuing the story begun in Just As Long As We're Together , Blume here focuses on Rachel, one of three best friends. This gifted, highly motivated student who, according to her mother, was ``born thirty-five,'' feels somewhat out of sync with Stephanie and Alison as seventh grade draws to a close. Then, when Rachel's acerbic older brother is expelled from boarding school, life at home becomes equally unsettling--and decidedly unpleasant. Rachel's incisive, first-person narration easily draws readers into her complicated world as she learns to cope with the pressures brought on by her relentless quest to be the best at everything and by her troubled family situation. Perceptive, strong storytelling ensures that other characters' points of view (particularly Rachel's brother's) can also be discerned. Blume once again demonstrates her ability to shape multidimensional characters and to explore--often through very convincing dialogue--the tangled interactions of believable, complex people.