Ask Amy Green

Gr 5—8—Sarah Webb is Ireland's Louise Rennison, although her main character, Amy Green, is a bit more serious than Georgia Nicolson: same age and same snogging issues, but faced with divorced parents, step-parents, and infant half-siblings. Amy has many moments of wisdom along with her funny bits about relationships with classmates. Clover, Amy's scheming teenage aunt, writes for a teen magazine, and is the British equivalent of Dear Abby. Amy decides to help her out, and together they work on answering letters while simultaneously addressing Amy's problems. Beware the fascination with chiffon dresses and cricket teams. There is plenty of Irish jargon such as Crombie boys, D4s, and Emos, but the glossary on the "Ask Amy Green" website offers help. Justine Eyre expressively voices the numerous teen and adult characters in Webb's novel (Candlewick, 2010). Young teens will identify with Amy and her friends as they fashion their pages on a social networking site and squabble over boyfriends.—Jennifer Ward, Albany Public Library, NY