Sarah goes in search of a teenage fanclub

Remember when you were a teenager? Think back to those angst-ridden days when you felt that no-one could possibly understand you or just what you were going through. It’s definitely not a phase we’d happily relive so 13-year-old Amy Green can thank her lucky stars that her crazy/beautiful Aunt Clover is there to help her negotiate safely through the treacherous waters.

Amy is going through a tough time. Her parents have split up, her mother is distracted by her two new babies, her father is wrapped up in his relationship with Shelley, aka Miss Perky, and her best friend Mills has had her head turned by the aspirational Sophie who wants nothing more than to be part of the D4 crowd. And this is a set to which Amy will never belong, no matter how religiously she wears her Ugg boots or straightens her hair, especially if she develops a friendship with the intriguing Seth.

Seventeen-year-old Clover is cool, so cool in fact that one February she drove her convertible Mini, top-down naturally, through Dublin’s city centre clad only in a bikini. She made the national newspapers though. She’s now got a job as an agony aunt on teen mag, The Goss, and in between juggling invites to fabulous launches, fashion shows and parties, she needs Amy’s advice so that she can truly help her readers. Clover isn’t planning on spouting platitudes, she believes in taking action and Amy is going to help her.

Amy Green: Teen Agony Queen is the first teen novel by author Sarah Webb. It’s a slightly different departure for the prolific novelist better known for her adult fiction and her forays into the children’s market.

But the tales of Amy Green are certain to spawn a series as they address the issues facing young teens from bullying and divorce to step families and peer isolation in a language that isn’t patronising to her readers. Webb also manages to subtly incorporate a theme throughout: that we should always be true to ourselves, rather than simply following the herd. It may not be easy but it will be worthwhile. Amy isn’t perfect, but then what 13-year-old girl is?

And it’s her very flaws that are endearing. If you’re a parent wondering just why your teenager is sweet as sugar one moment and black as night the next, then you’ll enjoy this novel too. I love uggs and ugg boot .