Sara Jane Chambers has always been a tomboy who plays football and baseball with the guys. But now she's turned 15, and her mother wants her to stop climbing trees and hoping to be a veterinarian and act more feminine. And once a new boy moves in next door, Sara Jane no longer wants to be just one of the guys and she finally wants to make some friends.

This book is a gentle story about growing to be comfortable in one's own skin and about the difficulties of making friends, finding boyfriends, and surviving hostile teachers. It's not terribly funny or adventurous - it's just a quiet story about a girl coming to grips with herself and overcoming her shyness.

This was my very first 'young adult' novel, and although it is quite dated (and was when I read it) the themes carry it well and are just as relevant today. Even though I wasn't any good at sports and I didn't have a nagging mother, Sara Jane still embodies to a degree how I felt growing up - but without the awkwardness of living it.

Still enjoyable despite the fact that I am not in its target age group any longer and despite its age. ( )