Relative Strangers

by Jean Ferris

Seventeen-year-old Berkeley, who has never lived with her father, accepts his offer to accompany him to Europe as a graduation present and finds herself struggling to accept him as he really is and not as the ideal father she's always wanted.

Genres: Young Adult

229 pages, Hardcover

First published August 1, 1993

About the author

This author is not afraid to tackle difficult subjects: living with a deaf parent (Of Sound Mind), facing the consequences of a criminal act (Bad), or questioning one's sexuality (Eight Seconds). But Jean Ferris is also adept at writing comedy, historical fiction, and romance. What's most interesting is that she didn't publish her first novel until she was in her mid-40s. Yet she's never forgotten the intense feelings and changes of her own teenage years. Critics as well as teen readers have seen the evidence of that in her writing and have honored her novels with a number of awards, from Best Books for Young Adults to various state and National Book Award nominations.