When Dylan replies, Georgie is over the moon. Suddenly, with Dylan's encouragement, anything seems possible, even Georgie's dreams of becoming an actress and getting away from her bullying step-father. Things aren't quite what they seem though and Georgie is about to learn some important lessons about friendship, encouragement and believing in yourself.
There are so many quality YA titles available at the moment and Dear Dylan is certainly one of them. It is a great combination of an entertaining story - a touch of romance, a little bit of theatrical glamour, interesting characters and a fun story - with a very positive and encouraging message for young readers.
Author Siobhan Curham 'wanted to write about the importance of never giving up on your dreams... By showing how Georgie faces (her) problems I wanted to inspire readers to chase their own dreams, no matter how tough life gets.'
Dear Dylan deals with issues of domestic violence, teenage friendship, first love, parent-child relationships and being brave enough to place value on your hopes and dreams. It stresses the importance of remaining connected, finding positive, supportive friendships and seeking help in situations of emotional abuse.
The fact that Georgie develops such as strong friendship online with someone who is a virtual stranger did leave me a little uneasy, but this issue is actually raised during the story and the importance of not sharing personal details online is mentioned several times. The email format worked quite well to both share the story as well as build suspense.
This is a very moving, positive and often humorous novel dealing with issues that, sadly, many young teens will be able to relate to. Georgie is quirky and very likeable character and the book deals with some difficult issues in a very readable way. I have added Siobhan Curham's name to my 'must watch' YA authors.
Title: Dear Dylan
Author: Siobhan Curham
Publisher: Egmont UK, $14.95 RRP
Publication Date: 1 May 2012
Format: Paperback
ISBN: 9781405260374
For ages: 12+ years
Type: Young adult fiction