Resau, Laura.  Red Glass.  New York:  Delacorte, 2009.

Sophie, a bit of a hypochondriac,  has always been an only child.  When her family takes in Pablo, a six year old survivor of an illegal border crossing that took the life of both of his parents, she suddenly finds that she likes being an older sister.  After a year, Pablo begins to talk and reveals the name of his village in Mexico.  Soon Sophie’s parents arrange for Pablo to visit what is left of his family; where he must decide whether to stay with Sophie’s family or to move back to his village permanently.

A nice little coming of age story.  Resau creates a plausible plot with quirky characters.  She blends adventure with the right amount of emotional trauma to create a believability in both her characters and their reactions to their surroundings.  Very readable!