Biographical information written about Danziger and Martin reveals that their personalities are much like the personalities of the girls they portray. It appears that developing a voice to connect to their characters came easily for both writers, then the plot simply fell into place. The first-person narrative flows easily, and the authors have no problem creating strong voices that readers can easily distinguish. Perhaps because of the spontaneity of the character's interchange, they able to carry the plot and introduce the various plot twists effectively.

Suspension builds as the girls' letters get more serious and their lives and their friendship threaten to explode.

The spontaneous dialogue allows Danziger and Martin to develop a realistic account of a friendship between two adolescent girls.

The authors incorporate their individual styles to create two contrasting personalities, and the letter format allows Tara and Elizabeth to define the characteristics of...