Dear Tracey

I don't know why I'm answering your ad, to be honest. It's not like I'm into pen pals, but it's a boring Sunday here, wet, everyone's out, and I thought it'd be something different...

Dear Mandy,

Thanks for writing.

You write so well, much better than me. I put the ad in for a joke, like a dare, and yours was the only good answer...

Two girls begin a friendship - two strangers exchanging letters, getting to know each other a little better every time they write.

Sometimes writing's easier than talking. Secrets and fears seem safer on paper. And both girls have plenty of each - fears they hardly dare to confront;secrets that could blow their lives apart...

'In a word, unforgettable.' Robert Cormier

There are 144 pages in this book. This book was published 2001 by Pan Macmillan .

John Marsden is Australia's bestselling author for teenagers and a highly acclaimed picture book writer.