From Publishers Weekly Gillian's family arrives at their summer home to find it has been burglarized， and Gillian is horrified to discover that her diary is one of the stolen items. But when she accidentally locates the thieves--two abused， runaway youngsters--she doesn't mind sharing her food， clothing and even the contents of her diary. Garden ( Annie on My Mind ) attempts to combine two unrelated plot lines that cross paths but never quite merge. Her novel's most vividly written portions concern Gillian's romantic attachment to her best friend， Suzanne; unfortunately it is given short shrift through brief letters and action that has occurred largely in the past and has little bearing on Gillian's adventures with the runaways. Uncharacteristically slow-moving for this author， the runaways' story generates neither sympathy nor interest. However， the persistent reader will likely wade through the lugubrious plot to see Gillian and Suzanne's relationship through to its conclusion. Ages 12-up. Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information， Inc. From School Library Journal Grade 7-10 --Gillian Harrison ， 17 ， is looking forward to her sixth consecutive quiet summer in Pookatasset， Rhode Island with her parents. Things take an unexpected turn when they find that their cabin has been broken into， although the thieves have taken only food and household needs. When Gillian discovers that her diary， with revelations about being in love with her best friend， is among the missing items， she worries about who the thieves might be and what they might do with the diary. She discovers that the culprit is a suicidal young girl and her five-year-old brother who have fled their abusive alcoholic father and are trying to reach their aunt's home in New Hampshire. By interweaving the issues of child abuse， suicide， runaways， and homosexuality with ethical questions regarding helping "outlaws" and lying to family and friends in order to protect others， Garden offers readers much food for thought. Even the inconsistent credibility of the story reinforces the ideas that there are often many ways to handle a situation， that mistakes are often made along the way， and that it is difficult to untangle a web once it has begun. Many readers will question the resolution of the problems， but few will escape personal reflection while reading this novel. --Dona Weisman， Northeast Texas Library System， GarlandCopyright 1991 Reed Business Information， Inc. See all Editorial Reviews