P.S. Longer Letter Later

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P.S. Longer Letter Later is a book written by Paula Danziger and Ann M. Martin in 1998.

It is a novel in letters and is written as a year-long correspondence between two twelve-year-old girls, Tara*Starr and Elizabeth. They are best friends despite their differences.

Tara*Starr is outgoing and impulsive and likes to write, while Elizabeth is shy, quiet and enjoys writing poetry. Though, they are best friends. When Tara*Starr moves to Ohio, the girls continue their friendship by writing letters, which detail the changes in their lives - Tara*Starr must cope with moving, making new friends and dealing with her mother's pregnancy while Elizabeth's family begins to fall apart.

Elizabeth's father is starting to scare her when he is coming home later than usual, drinking, and going overboard on his credit cards after he loses his job and has no money. Tara*Starr, is making new friends, joining clubs and getting in the school activities. When Elizabeth's family has to move to an apartment because of the money problem, her dad decides to leave, or separate from their mother.

It is through their alternating letters that readers learn how Tara*Starr and Elizabeth grow and change - and how they keep their friendship strong, even if it is long-distance. This book shows how hard a friendship can be when you can't see your friend, but also shows that if you truly care about something and if you work hard for that something anything can happen.

Tara*Starr is most like Danziger, while Elizabeth is most like Martin. This is reflected in the writing styles of the authors' individual works. Tara*Starr's writing style is strikingly similar to Danziger's Amber Brown books, and Elizabeth's writing style is strikingly similar to Martin's Baby-sitters Club books. P.S. Longer Letter Later is truly a heart-warming story and shows the true meaning of friendship. Also it shows that communication can help people through hard times.

"Elizabeth and Tara*Starr are totally different. Tara*Starr wears glitter and sequins, loves to be the center of attention, and is the only child of young parents" (Charents) "who are taking a long time to grow up. Elizabeth is shy and quiet, hates being the center of attention, and lives in a house in which possessions are more important than feelings. So of course they're best friends." ^[1]