Just How Far?

I read and enjoyed Stick and this latest offering from Barbara Jacobs has much of the same sharply observed teenage behaviour, with a stimulating variety of thoughtfully drawn characters. Megan and Bel accept a challenge from Terry, Bel's boyfriend, to get from Liverpool to Scotland on five pounds each. Bel merely wants to impress but Megan needs to salvage her pride and get her revenge on Terry, after losing him to Bel. During the trip, Megan meets Michael, an American medical student with inadequacies of his own to overcome. Megan salvages her self-esteem andd Michael comes to terms with his doubts - they end up together. This is the least convincing section of the book, where the dialogue wallows into sentimentality on occasions. This reservation aside, third and fourth-year girls will, I'm sure, be entertained - and, perhaps, reassured - by Just How Far?.