Phoebe ¦ Daphne ¦ Cassie ¦ Lydia

Four sisters, 11 to 14, each with a separte story and, of course, the interconnection of family, characters and place. The sisters are all recognisable types: the quiet one; the glamorous, easily deceived one; the serious, campaigning one. And each story covers an issue, appropriate to the readership, sometimes they stretch to two. We have Phoebe, 11, finding her friends interested only in boys and clothes while she doesn't want to grow up; Daphne, 12, trying to assert her own individuality; Cassie, 13, making a fool of herself by muddled judgements about friends; and Lydia, 14, campaigning for equal rights. Through each runs a cosy sameness. Attractively packaged, they are clearly designed exactly for their market. There's little in them to stretch to one book, let alone four, but they'll go happily in the book box and library and keep some readers going for an hour or two.