Myracle, Lauren. ttyl.

Abrams, Amulet. 209p. c2004. 0-8109-4821-4. $15.95. JS

This novel claims to be the first written entirely in email messages. The novelty of that, especially for teenagers who communicate with their friends everyday through e-mail and instant messages, has a certain appeal. Reading it may make you feel that you are reading a screenplay since it is all dialog. Of course, the e-mailese of ttyl (talk to you later), u r (you are), with the little faces and so forth, can be maddening for some readers.

The substance of the story is the friendship of three girls who have been close for years. Now, they are in high school, sometimes going separate ways, but trying to stay supportive. One crisis they face is when Maddie has too much to drink at a fraternity party and dances topless. Photographs of her doing this are circulating through the high school and Maddie is humiliated and cuts herself off from even her best friends. Zoe, the goody two-shoes of the three, gets into a strange relationship with a teacher, who is also the mentor for an evangelical Christian group. She has a hard time saying no because she is basically such an obedient girl, and it's the wild girl Maddie who saves her from this lecherous man.

Note that there is somewhat raunchy language throughout, perfectly believable in the context. There will surely be an audience of teenage girls for this YA novel by the author of Kissing Kate. Claire Rosser, KLIATT