Guitar Highway Rose a by loopy (Lucy Rhydwen-Marett) A teenage fiction with heaps of funny bits and realistic scenes... two teenagers run away to the north of WA. Guitar Highway Rose by Brigid Lowry Allen & Unwin Being a friend of the author may change my opinion of this book, but whatever you chose to think, I like it! Full of witty jokes and brilliant characterisation this book is really very enjoyable to read. Based on Rosie (who desperately wants a nose ring, but her mum won't let her) and her buddy Asher, the plot revolves around their friendship and how they eventually run away. There are some very funny scenes involving Rosie's little brother Harry who, being a typical 8 year old boy, constantly makes poo-fart jokes and is really pretty funny, despite the annoying exterior e.g 'Do your underpants have holes in them? No, well then, how do you get your legs in?' The book is written mini chapterette type things which switch from character to character, scene to scene as well as lists of things such as 'Asher's after school snack' and 'How to make dreadlocks'. These little bits give the reader insight into the characters and their personalities as well as making it much more interesting to read. Adorned with Brigid's little hand-drawn piccies the book looks interesting too! It only took me a morning to read Guitar Highway Rose but I'm going to reread it to absorb the jokes fully. The ending of the novel is unexpected and good and by this stage the reader is well acquainted with the characters. For teenage readers the characters are easy to relate to and are cool and funny throughout the book. The characters all seem to contain bits and pieces of personality that come from people Brigid (and myself) know, including bits of me! I'd definitely recommend this book to anyone who wants a good laugh and a good read, especially if you're a teenager. I'm also going to interview the author so keep your eyes peeled around the noise! site for more info on this cool book. Created on 00/00/00 and last modified on Mon, 20 Oct 1997.

LOUDonline - http://www.loud.net.au - Fri, 10 Apr 1998