Jacqueline Wilson never fails to please and her legions of fans clamour for just the slightest hint of a new book from their favourite author. This time Ellie, Magda and Nadine, teen heroines of Girls Under Pressure and Girls in Love, are back again in Girls out Late, growing up (and out!), getting to grips with their parents, their boys and their bodies as the roller-coaster from childhood into adulthood speeds up and hots up.

Ellie--plain, plump, with frizzy hair, not drop-dead gorgeous like Magda or supercool like Nadine--meets the man of her dreams over a burger and a sketch book and immediately finds that her father's instructions to be home by 9.00pm at the very latest have fallen through her hormone-addled sieve of a brain. She would much rather be snogging with Russell, but what will he think of her if she admits she has to be home at such a ridiculously early hour? But the real problems arise when Ellie and her buddies take a trip to London to see their favourite singer in action and they find themselves caught up with a van-load of dodgy blokes who have more than dancing in mind.

As sparky and true-to-life as ever, Wilson takes the bull by the horns and tackles teenage dilemmas with a reverence and wit that will doubtless continue to turn heads long into the future. Realism--not necessarily the gritty kind, but more the everyday-worrisome kind--plays a huge part in the authors work, not least in this tremendous series where she deals sensitively with the onset of the teenage years with a warmth, understanding and humour that cuts to the bone while at the same time provoking laughter at the sheer madness of it all.

An excellent book for older readers, great if read as part of the series, but undoubtedly not to be missed if it's the first Jacqueline Wilson book you have ever bought. It certainly won't be the last. (Age 11 and over) --Susan Harrison --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.