Stranded in Harmony

Rating:
Summary: absolutely fabulous
Review: barb is my aunt and ive read all of her books and this is my favorite book that she has written. It is about as good of book about a high school kids life as ive ever read.

Rating:
Summary: Great twist on coming-of-age theme.
Review: Shoup's novel holds appeal for teens and adults, alike. Protaganist Lucas, a popular high school student with an itch to discover the world outside of Harmony, Indiana, learns some valuable lessons during the fall of his senior year from a mysterious stranger to New Harmony and a local character who opted out of life years ago. A great read!

Rating:
Summary: A Day Stranded in Harmony
Review: Stranded in Harmony
By: Barbara Shoup

Stranded in Harmony by Barbara Shoup tells the story of the hardships and good times that one teenage boy goes through during the most crucial times of his life. Lucas Cantrell lives with his parents and younger sister Dawn in a small town called Harmony, Indiana. They live a small town life. Everyone knows each other and news travels as fast as wildfire throughout the town. The book is told from Lucas's point of view, and Lucas takes the reader on a journey to witness his life and true feelings as if everything were happening right in front of their eyes.

Lucas is the star football player on his high school team and is a very good student. He doesn't go anywhere without his best friend Bill who also happens to be Dawn's boyfriend or his girlfriend Sara. Lucas's first three years of high school flowed very smoothly. He went to school and got good grades, played football in the fall, and went out with Sara on the weekends. How much better could life get! But ... then came his senior year!

Unbeknownst to Lucas, many problems will arise during his senior year. These problems occur in all aspects of his life. His family, friends, girlfriend, and even himself are all things that Lucas struggles with. As these events occur many things go through Lucas's mind. "When did I change? When did I quit believing that there was a whole world out there, just waiting for me to step into it? When it happened, why didn't I notice? Suddenly, toward the end of the summer before my senior year in high school, I started thinking about these questions all the time. I felt as if I'd just awakened from a long sleep. That dead-to-the-world kind of sleep, with no dreams. And I looked around and thought, This is what I've settled for? This is my life?" (p. 2)

One of these problems is with the person that he would least expect it to be, his girlfriend Sara. Sara has been Dawn's best friend ever since they were little. And it turns out that Dawn was the one who convinced Lucas to ask Sara to the eighth grade dance. This began their relationship of four years. A problem arises when too many assumptions are made, instead of talking things through.

Another problem arises with Coach Petrie, Lucas's football coach. At the beginning of the season he appointed Lucas as the captain of the football team, so in return, a lot of things were expected of him. Leadership and setting good examples are among these things. As the season progresses, Lucas slacks off because of his problems, and his talk with Coach Petrie results in an outcome that Lucas doesn't really like.

Lucas is also offered a football scholarship to play football in college. A scout from Manchester College sees a lot of promise in Lucas. This situation causes many mental difficulties for Lucas. Because of his recent loss of a love for the game, and lifelong ambition to go to Indiana University, Lucas debates over what he should do. Mr. Cantrell also puts a lot of pressure on Lucas to make this decision. It has been Mr. Cantrell's dream to see his son play football collegiately. Should he take the scholarship and fulfill his father's dreams or live the life that he wants to live?

Besides the many problems that arise, two other characters play a key role in Lucas's life. These people are Ronnie Dale and Allie Bowen. Ronnie Dale is one of Lucas's relatives. When Ronnie was seventeen, he became very ill and has been bedridden ever since. Ronnie lives alone in a cabin, and it is the responsibility of the Cantrell family to take care of his every need. A majority of this responsibility goes to Lucas. It is his job to bring Ronnie his dinner every day and keep him company for awhile. Allie Bowen is introduced into Lucas's life through Ronnie Dale. By observing his daily routine, she takes an interest in Ronnie Dale. After being given the permission, Allie begins to make regular visits to the cabin to keep Ronnie Dale company. When Lucas begins to run into problems, he confides in Allie for help. After awhile a friendship develops and they both learn more from each other than they had expected. Allie helps Lucas with his history project and through this she unveils her mysterious past.

I would recommend this book to any teenager who wants be assured that they aren't the only ones in this world who have to make difficult decisions day in and day out. A peek into the mind of Lucas, a college bound senior, allows the reader to feel for the character and gives the impression that one is living Lucas's life along with him. The reader learns about Lucas's problems and travels with him along the road of recovery. Stranded in Harmony is a book for anyone who enjoys seeing a person work through their problems and succeed at doing so.