Since this novel is a product of the 1980s, it touches on a number of concerns of that era that might be handled differently by today's teen-age population. The small town in which this story is set exists on the fringe of the problems which are spilling over from the nearby big city of Philadelphia.

Both the teen-agers and adults in this novel are somewhat naive in their knowledge of these problems. In using this book with a class, it would be important to note that the issues Nicki and her friends confront head-on, including birth control, premarital sex, selling and using of drugs, teen-age use of alcohol, child abuse, and procedures relating to juvenile delinquents, are issues teen-agers still face, but which are much more a part of our common knowledge through open discussion within the school curriculum, and much more a focus of the...