PartnerShip, by Anne McCaffrey
I've been in the mood for re-reading very much loved books lately... this is the second in the Ship series by Anne McCaffrey.
I find the "shell-people" concept incredibly interesting. These people that are incredibly powerful and yet incredibly helpless at the same time.
Anyway! This one features Nancia as the brain, and then the group of Family brats that she transports on her first assignment after she graduates and gets her ship. It follows the lot of them and bounces between them all for a few years to tell the whole story of what happens and how it all interconnects.
Unlike Helva from the first book, Nancia does know who her family is and she stays connected to them. I like that difference, I think it keeps her more human. A lot of the story is about her growing up and learning how to make decisions for herself.