- Paperback: 208 pages
- Publisher: AuthorHouse (24 Mar 2010)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 144909869X
- ISBN-13: 978-1449098698
- Product Dimensions: 22.6 x 15.2 x 1.4 cm
- Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 917,334 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
Dear Dylan
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Product Description
Review
"* 'Tender, quirky and cool. Siobhan Curham is a name to watch' (Cathy Cassidy) * 'An absorbing, moving novel... I'm still thinking about the characters so much I want check on them and see how things are going now!' (Chicklish)"
--This text refers to an alternate
Paperback
edition.
Product Description
Fourteen year old Georgie Harris feels as if the summer holidays are over before they have even begun. Banned from going to the local drama workshop by her bully of a step-dad and her increasingly fragile mum, she is consigned to six long weeks of looking after her tooth-fairy obsessed kid sister. Sick of feeling like the outsider at home and at school, she starts emailing the one person she thinks might understand; Dylan Curtland, star of the popular soap opera Jessop Close. And when Dylan starts emailing back, Georgie finally feels a tiny spark of hope. At last she has someone who really gets her, someone who really wants to help. But in the faceless world of email all is not as it seems...
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
'Dear Dylan' was a surprising and delightfully heartwarming read with a wonderful central character who by the end of the book felt like an old friend.
The format of the story is a series of emails over a period of three months between Georgie and her e-mate. Into her emails, Georgie pours all her thoughts, feelings and emotions about her life and is able to express all the things that she'd never be able to say in read life. Her emails are funny, thoughtful, amusing, insightful and frequently made me laugh and smile, as well as cry and feel genuine empathy and compassion for her situation. I was slightly wary of the email format initially as I haven't always enjoyed books which are set out like that but I needn't have worried because I was hooked on 'Dear Dylan' almost immediately.
I loved the way that Georgie and her e-mate each helped the other through a difficult time and taught each other valuable lessons about living and enjoying life. Of course, the dangers of corresponding with people you don't know on the internet can't be ignored but in Georgie's case she acquires a beautiful new friendship.
I really admired Georgie who was desperate to have the normal life of a teenager that all her friends seemed to have but had to deal with looking after her little sister, as well as coping with an angry step-dad. She seemed absolutely genuine and was true to herself always. Her crush on Jamie, dubbed 'the boy with the sorrowful smile' was touching and sweet and I couldn't help but keep my fingers crossed that something good would happen between them.
'Dear Dylan' was an amazing and poignant debut title which really touched my heart! I can't wait for Siobhan Curham's second book 'Finding Cherokee Brown' which I can only imagine will be just as good.
The format of the story is a series of emails over a period of three months between Georgie and her e-mate. Into her emails, Georgie pours all her thoughts, feelings and emotions about her life and is able to express all the things that she'd never be able to say in read life. Her emails are funny, thoughtful, amusing, insightful and frequently made me laugh and smile, as well as cry and feel genuine empathy and compassion for her situation. I was slightly wary of the email format initially as I haven't always enjoyed books which are set out like that but I needn't have worried because I was hooked on 'Dear Dylan' almost immediately.
I loved the way that Georgie and her e-mate each helped the other through a difficult time and taught each other valuable lessons about living and enjoying life. Of course, the dangers of corresponding with people you don't know on the internet can't be ignored but in Georgie's case she acquires a beautiful new friendship.
I really admired Georgie who was desperate to have the normal life of a teenager that all her friends seemed to have but had to deal with looking after her little sister, as well as coping with an angry step-dad. She seemed absolutely genuine and was true to herself always. Her crush on Jamie, dubbed 'the boy with the sorrowful smile' was touching and sweet and I couldn't help but keep my fingers crossed that something good would happen between them.
'Dear Dylan' was an amazing and poignant debut title which really touched my heart! I can't wait for Siobhan Curham's second book 'Finding Cherokee Brown' which I can only imagine will be just as good.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
I wasn't sure what to expect from Dear Dylan, a novel written entirely in emails. It's not a format I've ever encountered before, and though I was instantly intrigued I couldn't help wondering if it was just a gimmick. As it turned out, I don't think Dear Dylan could've been written any other way.
We first hear from main character Georgie Harris when she decides to contact her favourite actor, Dylan Curtland - the star of her favourite soap opera. In these early emails, Georgie seems to be your average celebrity-crushing teen. She gushes, she tells Dylan she loves him, and it's clear how much she wants to believe that the standard replies she gets back from him are written just to her. Her friend Jessica thinks she should just get over it. But then, something amazing happens. Georgie gets the email that changes everything. A real, personal, just-for-Georgie email from someone who might just turn out to be the friend she's always needed.
It doesn't take long for this new 'e-mate' to realise that Georgie is going through a difficult time at home. Her stepdad is a bully, and she misses her own dad. Even her summer holiday is beginning to look like it's going to be a total washout, as she's forced to look after her half-sister every day instead of going to the drama workshop all her friends will be at. But with the encouragement of her new online friend, Georgie finds a way to slowly start turning things around. Through emails, we follow the ups and downs of Georgie's summer as a life-changing friendship grows on the pages before us.
Much of what Georgie goes through will be familiar territory for most readers, as she negotiates her way through cringe-inducing beauty disasters, toxic friendships and the uncertainty of her first romance. Where Georgie's story differs is in the influence that her new online friend has on the way she deals with her troubles. Because this is where the format really counts: not only is the story is told in emails, but the emails are the story. And when the story begins to take a darker turn, Georgie's e-mate shows us what real friendship is all about.
Georgie herself is a sparky, easy-to-relate to character whose emails are written with a quirky and endearing individuality. She's the kind of protagonist who'll have you cheering her on through the good times and commiserating through the bad times. Fans of romantic storylines will especially appreciate the sweet and tender (and yes, swoonworthy!) story of Georgie's first real love. At the same time, there is major substance here. As Georgie confides more and more in her online friend we begin to see that her stepdad's bad moods might just be far more sinister than we first realised - and it's down to Georgie's e-mate to help her.
Although Dear Dylan covers some serious themes, it does so with a lightness of touch that keeps the reader captivated from start to finish. There's also a real specialness in the way that the email format brings so much to the story. It's a book that reminds us of the power of true friendship. It's intimate and honest, and written with a freshness that I believe will enchant teen and adult readers alike. I loved it.
We first hear from main character Georgie Harris when she decides to contact her favourite actor, Dylan Curtland - the star of her favourite soap opera. In these early emails, Georgie seems to be your average celebrity-crushing teen. She gushes, she tells Dylan she loves him, and it's clear how much she wants to believe that the standard replies she gets back from him are written just to her. Her friend Jessica thinks she should just get over it. But then, something amazing happens. Georgie gets the email that changes everything. A real, personal, just-for-Georgie email from someone who might just turn out to be the friend she's always needed.
It doesn't take long for this new 'e-mate' to realise that Georgie is going through a difficult time at home. Her stepdad is a bully, and she misses her own dad. Even her summer holiday is beginning to look like it's going to be a total washout, as she's forced to look after her half-sister every day instead of going to the drama workshop all her friends will be at. But with the encouragement of her new online friend, Georgie finds a way to slowly start turning things around. Through emails, we follow the ups and downs of Georgie's summer as a life-changing friendship grows on the pages before us.
Much of what Georgie goes through will be familiar territory for most readers, as she negotiates her way through cringe-inducing beauty disasters, toxic friendships and the uncertainty of her first romance. Where Georgie's story differs is in the influence that her new online friend has on the way she deals with her troubles. Because this is where the format really counts: not only is the story is told in emails, but the emails are the story. And when the story begins to take a darker turn, Georgie's e-mate shows us what real friendship is all about.
Georgie herself is a sparky, easy-to-relate to character whose emails are written with a quirky and endearing individuality. She's the kind of protagonist who'll have you cheering her on through the good times and commiserating through the bad times. Fans of romantic storylines will especially appreciate the sweet and tender (and yes, swoonworthy!) story of Georgie's first real love. At the same time, there is major substance here. As Georgie confides more and more in her online friend we begin to see that her stepdad's bad moods might just be far more sinister than we first realised - and it's down to Georgie's e-mate to help her.
Although Dear Dylan covers some serious themes, it does so with a lightness of touch that keeps the reader captivated from start to finish. There's also a real specialness in the way that the email format brings so much to the story. It's a book that reminds us of the power of true friendship. It's intimate and honest, and written with a freshness that I believe will enchant teen and adult readers alike. I loved it.
Format:Paperback
I didn't enjoy Dear Dylan as much as everyone else seemed to and, to be honest, I'm still not quite sure what I thought of it. I liked the format it was written in, but many of the situations were unbelievable, and main character Georgie irritated me more than I'd like.
Georgie was one of those teenagers I just couldn't warm to. She made up words like 'frost-free', and called her step-dad 'Tone-Deaf'. Normally I'm quite good with teen slang and unusual dialogue, but in this case it wasn't something I got used to. I really did try, but I just couldn't think of Georgie in a favourable way. Nan, the older lady Georgie talked to through email, was a better character, though even she didn't strike a chord with me.
Dear Dylan was written entirely in emails, which was one of the things I really liked about it. I like to see authors acknowledging how important technology is, and how it affects our lives in different ways. Curham used it here to show the dangers - and benefits - of talking to strangers on the internet, and I thought that was an important lesson to address. I did have a bit of a problem with how Nan approached things, especially because she knew Georgia was only 14. Even though she was a lovely person and meant no harm, I still thought she'd know better.
Dear Dylan changes direction part way through the story, and ends up being about something far from what I was expecting. I won't spoil anything, but it deals with serious topics within the family home, and approaches them in a very sensitive manner. There's a lot to learn from this book, and a lot of life lessons to be taken away.
This book didn't turn out to be for me, though I know a lot of other readers and bloggers absolutely loved it. Had I liked Georgie more, I'm sure my feelings would have been different, but unfortunately I didn't. Dear Dylan has a lot to offer when you break it down, especially to younger teenagers who may not know about the dangers of the internet, and I think it would be a good title to keep on school library shelves.
Georgie was one of those teenagers I just couldn't warm to. She made up words like 'frost-free', and called her step-dad 'Tone-Deaf'. Normally I'm quite good with teen slang and unusual dialogue, but in this case it wasn't something I got used to. I really did try, but I just couldn't think of Georgie in a favourable way. Nan, the older lady Georgie talked to through email, was a better character, though even she didn't strike a chord with me.
Dear Dylan was written entirely in emails, which was one of the things I really liked about it. I like to see authors acknowledging how important technology is, and how it affects our lives in different ways. Curham used it here to show the dangers - and benefits - of talking to strangers on the internet, and I thought that was an important lesson to address. I did have a bit of a problem with how Nan approached things, especially because she knew Georgia was only 14. Even though she was a lovely person and meant no harm, I still thought she'd know better.
Dear Dylan changes direction part way through the story, and ends up being about something far from what I was expecting. I won't spoil anything, but it deals with serious topics within the family home, and approaches them in a very sensitive manner. There's a lot to learn from this book, and a lot of life lessons to be taken away.
This book didn't turn out to be for me, though I know a lot of other readers and bloggers absolutely loved it. Had I liked Georgie more, I'm sure my feelings would have been different, but unfortunately I didn't. Dear Dylan has a lot to offer when you break it down, especially to younger teenagers who may not know about the dangers of the internet, and I think it would be a good title to keep on school library shelves.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
fab down to earth book
I loved this book. It is written in email format throughout following an ongoing conversation between Georgie and her Emate over the course of 6 weeks. Read more
Published 22 months ago by Kirsty at the Overflowing Library
Dear Dylan
Georgie has a lot going on in her life and feels like she has no one to talk to about her problems. Feeling lonely she starts to email her favorite actor Dylan hoping desperately... Read more
Published 22 months ago by Sarah Gibson
A truely "Frost-Free" read!
A lovely, moving, inventive and compelling tale of a blossoming friendship told through the email medium. I read it in 2 sittings - I just couldn't put it down. Read more
Published 24 months ago by L. Davidson
Not to be missed!
This is a delightful book of easy, entertaining reading. The author really gets inside the head of Georgie, the 14 year old protagonist, and we experience the highs and lows of a... Read more
Published on 25 May 2010 by David Stroud
A First Class Read!
This book would be a perfect gift for any teenager as it's a great story, beautifully written. The clever thing that Siobhan Curham has managed to pull off is to make Dear Dylan... Read more
Published on 13 May 2010 by A. Nagle
Not just for teenagers
Dear Dylan is a thoroughly enjoyable read with a great plot and well-drawn characters. It is the story of a 14 year old dealing with a very difficult family life and how she finds... Read more
Published on 12 May 2010 by Janette Silverman
An absolutely brilliant read!
Beautifully written. The novel entails the exploration of a relationship that develops whereby the two people end up having quite a large impact on each other's lives. Read more
Published on 30 April 2010 by L. Allerton
Couldn't put it down!!!
Dear Dylan is written for teenagers but it appeals to all ages. The story is cleverly told through the e-mail conversation between a teenage girl and a much older adult. Read more
Published on 15 April 2010 by Book-worm
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