P.s. Longer Letter Later (hc) - Hardcover

Martin, Ann M; Danziger, Paula

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0590213105 ISBN 13: 9780590213103

Publisher: Scholastic Press, 1998

About this title

Reviews

Grade 5-8ATwo adolescent girls try very hard to sustain their "best friend" status despite geographical separation. The protagonists have very different personalities, yet there is a strong bond between them. Tara*Starr is a creative, flamboyant youngster while Elizabeth is more introspective. This contrast adds liveliness to the narrative. Both are bright and imaginative. Their story is told in alternating voices via their correspondences after Tara*Starr moves to Ohio. Danziger and Martin know how to speak in these young voices and manage to capture many of the nuances of their relationship. The feelings the girls share about new friends, separation, and adjustment ring true. Of course, the two authors cram a great deal into this book. Elizabeth's family is upper-middle class while Tara*Starr's parents, who are only in their late 20s, have been struggling to grow into their "adulthood" financially and emotionally. In a reversal of fortunes, Elizabeth's family situation begins to fall apart as greater security develops for Tara*Starr. Both girls remain there for one another despite temporary misunderstandings. The authenticity of the well-drawn characters gives life and vitality to the story. Changes occur in both girls, and though they keep their friendship alive, it changes as well. Readers will thoroughly enjoy this fast-paced read.ARenee Steinberg, Fieldstone Middle School, Montvale, NJ
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.

If Danziger and Martin had been childhood pen pals, their correspondence might have read much like this strikingly insightful epistolary novel. Each known for a finely tuned ear to her audience, the venerable authors here do a splendid job of creating a story based on the letters exchanged between 12-year-old best friends, one of whom has just moved to another state. The authors' distinctive voices give the collaboration a rare spontaneity and realism. Impulsive, outgoing Tara*Starr streaks her hair purple, can't resist a pun, pens an irreverent column for her school paper and fancies creme-filled, frosted doughnuts with sprinkles. The whole-wheat variety is the doughnut of choice for quiet, thoughtful Elizabeth, who enjoys cross-stitching, launches a poetry journal at school and isn't quite ready to pierce her ears. Tara's life, which had been chaotic prior to her move, hits some unanticipated twists: her mother and father?who had Tara at 17?begin acting like parents for the first time (taking steady jobs, setting rules around the house) and her mother becomes pregnant. Elizabeth, meanwhile, whose life was quite predictable and steady, faces cataclysmic change when her spendthrift father loses his job, struggles with alcohol and abandons his wife and daughters. Her crises spawn some moving passages, including her response to Tara's ironic complaints that her life is "a shambles" because snow postponed the school play; "It better turn around soon," writes Elizabeth, "Your life is the only good one I have." Readers will also readily identify with Tara's confessions of inadequacy about how to console Elizabeth (e.g., "Zounds! Zounds! Zounds!/ A million times Zounds!/ I don't know what to say. Your news is soooooooo awful!"). Even when the girls argue and the time between letters grows, readers can appreciate what goes into the erosion and rebuilding of friendship. Given Danziger's and Martin's penchant for continuing story lines, readers can only hope that this will be an ongoing correspondence. Ages 10-13.
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Edition details

• Publisher: Scholastic Press
• Publication date: 1998
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0590213105
• ISBN 13: 9780590213103
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 160