P.S. Longer Letter Later is an epistolary novel 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.
Contents |
Tara Starr is outgoing and impulsive and likes to write, while Elizabeth is shy, quiet and prefers writing poetry. Even so, they are best friends.
When Tara*Starr moves to Ohio, the girls continue their friendship. They have to do this by writing letters, because Elizabeth's father does not like Tara*Starr, and Tara*Starr's parents think it is expensive to talk on the phone. The letters 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. Tara*Starr makes another best friend in Ohio. Her name is Hannah. Tara calls her Pal Palindrome because her name spelled backwards is the same as when it's spelled forward. It becomes her new nickname and everyone calls her "Pal". Tara also gets a boyfriend named Alex who abuses her.
Elizabeth's father starts 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. Meanwhile Tara*Starr is making new friends, joining clubs and getting involved in school activities. When Elizabeth's family has to move to an apartment because of the money problem, her dad decides to leave, and separates from her 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 suggests that if you truly care about something and work hard for it, 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.
In a radio interview, the authors said that as they developed the story together, their own friendship was tested like that of their characters.[1]
The Denver Post called it a "classic example of an Odd Couple collaboration", given the mismatch of the characters and their writing styles.[2] Publishers Weekly assessed it as "strikingly insightful".[3]
Boston Globe included it in a shortlist of books recommended to help children cope with the uncertainty of moving house.[4]