Snail Mail No More
by Paula Danziger and Ann M. Martin
published by Scholastic
307 pages

Review by Samantha, age 12

How would you like to have your best friend in the world suddenly move away?!? Elizabeth and Tara*Star are completely different but they are best friends. Then Tara*Starr moves away. In the first book of their letters, Ann Martin (who writes the Baby-Sitters Club series) wrote all Elizabeth's letters and Paula Danziger (who wrote The Pistachio Prescription among other books) is Tara*Starr. The authors wrote back and forth, never knowing what the other would write, just like in real life! Now Tara*Starr and Elizabeth are back in a sequel to P.S. Longer Letter Later.

They both now own computers and have e-mail.

At the beginning of Snail Mail No More, Elizabeth writes to her friend, "I really wish you had a computer so we could send each other e-mail too. Then we could practically TALK to each other with the computers..We could tell each other everything that happens, practically AS it happens." You guessed it! This time they don't have to wait like a week for each other's letters!

Throughout the book, the girls learn a whole lot about boyfriends, friends, themselves, parents and a whole lot of surprises!!!!! From new baby sisters to drunk dads, life can be very hard, but if you have a great friend life seems to be better.

"Dad called about 6:30...Mom said she could tell right away that he was drunk. He was slurring his words and everything. It was only 6:30, Tara. Do you suppose he's drunk all day now?" writes Elizabeth one night to her friend. Tara replies the next day, "Wow. I don't know what to say. It sounds awful. Your dad sounds really scary....I'm sorry things are so bad."

They show that, through terrible times and good times too, having a friend who listens can really help.