A Proper Little Nooryeff ¦ I Love You, stupid!

Jean Ure's New Adult paperback is like Pennington all over again. what's been learnt in twelve years? Precious little. Nooryeff is an dance stylistically - fewer literary pretensions - but the expletives still make you cringe ('Twist off'), the school is just as unconvincing (but less prominent fortunately), and there's possibly more unconscious condescension to the plebs than with K.M. Peyton. Jamie finds himself reluctantly partnering Anita, a girl from the Common's posh side, in a ballet school's show. He's a natural (of course) but more interested in cricket, nookie - not associated with Anita till the very end - and in keeping his dancing a secret. Lightly comic. OK cover; should get a medium-sized audience, mostly girls.

Harry Mazer's novel is better. The subject matter is dead simple - the growth of a relationship between two 17-year-old who meet again after several years - but there's a book on page one (Marcus's feeling that has virginity makes him sex-obsessed) and the easy-reading, humorous style chugs along nicely. It's refreshing that Marcus's ambitions to be a writer can be presented without any kind of apology. Maybe Americans would see deficiencies in authenticity similar to those in Nooryeff but I didn't. I'm sure kids'll enjoy it too and teachers needn't worry that it will cause 'problems' like Forever...