Letters to Liz: Jo's Letter

Review also includes:

Letters to Liz: Nicki’s Letter, 978-0744590029

These bright, lively pocket-sized books are the latest of Hooper’s forays into fiction about troubled young adults. Megan and Megan 2 dealt successfully with the challenges of teenage pregnancy and here she explores two more typical teenage preoccupations: petty crime and relationships with the opposite sex.

Four friends – Nicki, Zoe, Amber and Jo – have a book devoted to their own dark secrets, written in the form of a narrative followed by a letter to a problem page. Nicki’s letter deals with her friend Zoe’s shoplifting and Jo’s with her fictitious boyfriend Vince, invented to keep pace with her friends’ tally of boys.

The narratives are pacy and page-turning but their speed and brevity do not prevent knowledgeable and sympathetic examination of the featured problem. These useful and entertaining books will provide reassurance for many teenagers and the knowledge that there is always someone to whom they can turn for help.

(Also available: Amber’s Letter, 978-0744590043, and Zoe’s Letter, 978-0744590036)