A turning point is exactly what Lucy Loverling does NOT want. Everything is changing around her, and suddenly she has to make all sorts of decisions. Everyone else knows who and what she wants to be except her. Izzie has become friends with the glamorous Nesta, and Lucy isn't certain she likes a threesome. Nesta and Izzie look sixteen, but Lucy, at fourteen, can still pass for a twelve-year-old.But then one day Lucy sees the most wonderful boy crossing the street, and things do start to change -- in all areas of her life... Distributed by Syndetic Solutions, Inc.

Lucy, Izzie and Nesta are 14-year-old Londoners in these first two volumes of British author Hopkins's lighthearted but predictable series. Sweet, young-looking Lucy narrates the first. Stumped when assigned an essay on "What makes me `me'?" Lucy enters a self-esteem nosedive worsened by a disastrous haircut. Finally, with a little help from her friends (who, among other things, buy her an inflatable bra) and a heart-to-heart with her mom, she's able to realize her gifts. In the less compelling second installment, New Age-ish Izzie takes the lead, as Mark, a boy selling essential oils at a market, plays games with her heart. Again, Izzie's friends and mom offer support, but it's while helping Lucy with her love life that Izzie wises up: "We should be the ones that choose or else we're all going to go through hell, up and down and round and round, trying to please boys but losing ourselves in the process." Hopkins's messages drip with girl power, and there are funny moments in each novel (Lucy trying to remove wax from her underarms, Izzie agonizing over her first "snog" with Mark). Inspirational quotes or Izzie's song lyrics tacked on to chapters add color, but the series pales next to Louise Rennison's hilarious books, which cover the same territory. Ages 12-up. (Jan.) Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information. From: Reed Elsevier Inc. Copyright Reed Business Information

Gr. 6^-10. These two titles join the recent British invasion of funny, on-the-mark novels that read like a junior Bridget Jones' Diary. Centered on a trio of high-school friends, each book is told from a different character's point of view. Cosmic Kisses is Izzy's story, and she describes her first painful obsession over a boy. Luckily, her concerned pals are waiting when she comes to her senses, and she moves on. Inflatable Bras is narrated by Lucy, who, at 14, feels flat-chested and immature in comparison to Izzy and Nesta, her two gorgeous best friends. A what-do-you-want-to-be-when-you-grow-up assignment exacerbates Lucy's identity crisis, but she finds direction and confidence (and even a cute guy) when her friends encourage her sewing talents and fashion flair. Both novels fly along with pitch-perfect details and slapstick humor that is deepened by sharp insights into real issues: friendship, insecurities, growing independence, and family conflict. Teen girls will devour these whole; they'll easily see themselves in each girl's struggle. --Gillian Engberg From: Syndetics Solutions, Inc. Distributed by Syndetic Solutions, Inc.