Love bugs

Asquith, Ros: Unbridled Passion
Orchard Books, 1999

The Fab Four equals Flash, Frizzy Lizzy, Eclaire and Owl and they are best friends. “All for one and one for all; Fatty, skinny, short and tall; Frizzy, Flash, Owl and Eclaire; Stick together, foul or fair”. This is how the Fab Four’s chant starts. Flash has always been pony-mad and now her greatest worry is the fact that her favourite pony Flame is so old that he has to retire from the stables. Flash is certain that Flame is going to be slaughtered. The Fab Four decide to save Flame but suddenly Flash isn’t so keen on the pony anymore. There is a gorgeous new boy called Tom at the stables and he has green eyes, blond hair and the softest American drawl Flash has ever heard…

Coville, Bruce: Juliet Dove, Queen of Love
Hodder Children's Books, 2004

Juliet is the shyest person at her school yet she has the most extraordinary nickname. People call her the Killer. Every time someone starts to tease her she panics and blurts out   most hideous things just to get them to leave her alone. One day Juliet comes across an old-looking shop where a strange woman, Iris, shows her a beautiful pendant. Iris calls the necklace “Cupid’s choice” and Juliet wants it. Juliet wears the necklace when she’s studying with  Arturo, the boy next-door. He can’t help staring at Juliet all the time. At school all the boys start to act in a weird way. They all seem suddenly interested in Juliet and the other girls notice that too. Worse still, Juliet can’t take the necklace off of her.

Gillmor, Don: Yuck, a Love Story
Stoddart Kids, 2000

Arthur leads a full life. He has a best friend, a dog and a bicycle. Then everything changes. A girl, Amy moves in next door. Girls don’t know anything and they are all really yucky. Why do girls have to exist at all? Amy invites Arthur to her birthday party and you’ll never guess what he decides to give her as a present! It is really something yucky…

McCaughrean, Geraldine: The Orchard Book of Love and Friendship
Orchard, 2000

This book contains the greatest love stories ever told. Read about the tragic love of Romeo and Juliet or the immense friendship between Prince Llewellyn and his wolfhound Gelert. Find out why Taj Mahal was built and what happened after little Harlequin’s heart flew away. These classic love stories are based on myths, biblical stories and folktales and they can be thousands of years old. Some of these stories have been retold many times in different forms: ballets, operas, films and books.

The Kingfisher Book of Poems About Love
Kingfisher, 1999

I
only have
IIII
for
u.

This Bernard Proctor’s poem Egotist is one of the hundreds of love poems you’ll find in this book. There are short and funny poems, deep and solemn poems and everything in between. This book is full of delightful thoughts which will touch you and your loved ones deeply.

Oldfield, Jenny: Off-Side
Barrington Stoke, 2001

Danny can’t believe his luck. He is going out with the nicest looking girl at his school, Ellie and he still can’t understand why Ellie chose him. Danny simply loves her. Ellie has some doubts in her mind about Danny. They have been going out for three short weeks but Danny has been a football fan all his life. He must prefer football to her! Ellie asks Danny to come to ice-skating one Saturday although she knows there is going to be a big cup match that day. When Danny’s friend Joey offers him the ticket to the game, Danny can’t say no. It is a chance of a lifetime. But how can he explain Ellie he’s not coming ice-skating after all.

Rayban, Chloë: Wrong Number
Barrington Stoke, 2004

Marie has broken up with her boyfriend Nick and she’s staying at home on a Saturday night. She has nothing to do except zap through the channels. Suddenly her phone rings. A young man asks if she had ordered a cab. A wrong number. But the guy rings Marie again, twice. Marie says she’s a supermodel who has a fashion shoot next morning and that is why she’s staying home. Later he, Mark, says he’s driving cabs until his band’s new single is coming out. Marie hesitates to tell her friend Michelle the truth about Mark, because there seems to be something going on with Michelle and Nick. Mark keeps on ringing to Marie and finally they decide to meet in real life.

Roberts, Lynn: Cinderella – an Art Deco Love Story
Abrams, 2001

Cinderella is renowned fairy tale which is familiar to us all. The classic rags-to-riches tale introduces Greta and his forgetful father who unexpectly marries a cold-hearted woman who has two daughters: a wicked and a dim one. There’s going to be a ball where the prince is to choose a bride. Greta’s evil stepmother is making her impossible to take part in the ball but with the help of magic Greta wins the princes heart. This time there is a twist to the tale as well. The story is situated in the 1930’s, the era of Art Deco. The illustrator David Roberts dresses the characters in the coolest outfits of the period. The furniture and other objects are based on real Art Deco designs and the paintings on the walls are renderings of famous artists.

Wilson, Jacqueline: Girls in Love
Doubleday, 1997

Girls in love is the first book about Ellie and her friends Magda and Nadine. One of Ellie’s resolutions is to get a boyfriend. When Nadine tells she is going out with Liam Ellie blurts that she has a boyfriend too, Dan. Actually Dopey Dan is nerdy little nuisance whom Ellie met during the holiday in Wales. Not at all boyfriend material. There are some nasty features in Nadine’s Liam and girlfriends come to Nadine’s rescue. Finally Ellie has to come clean about Dan as well and it’s not that bad after all, to have a boyfriend who is really a friend. Every chapter ends in a list of nine, in which Ellie reveals things of herself.

Wishinsky, Frieda: Jennifer Jones Won’t Leave Me Alone
Picture Corgi, 2003

Percy is so annoyed. Jennifer Jones is really bothering him. She won’t leave Percy alone no matter what. Jennifer is so in love with Percy that she sends him love poems with heart stickers and keeps on telling him how much she loves him. Percy wishes Jennifer would move to the jungle, to the desert or to the moon as long as he could just get rid of her. After a while Jennifer is really moving to Europe and Percy finds he’s missing her a lot. The book is written in rhyme and illustrated with edgy cartoon-like pictures and collages.