A for Ami ¦ A Name Like Bunny

Puffin are catching up. These two have been given the look of twins with the same suitable photographs on the cover, similar titles, subtitles and stories. They look right for a whole group of readers in this age range and the American writer mines that area of young adolescence where uncertainty and the lure of the excitements of being a teenager are the facts of existence, and friendship between girls is the centre of day-to-day life. There's little by way of story - two girls, best friends, who enjoy their closeness, exploring and sharing ideas. Friendship is the core of Ami, they even share the same three letters for a name, and Bunny takes this one stage further with Bunny using her friend's name with a new boyfriend. The books are to do with verbal and imaginative comfort, with an air of jollity and empathy. Bound to be very popular with girls of this age group who will enjoy being able to go from one book to the next in such a simple fashion.