This gutsy novel will appeal to young adult readers for the immediacy of the voice and the subjects with which the book deals. It is a refreshingly new concept in story-telling and writing and yet with all its different ingredients the story works well.

The language is varied and diverse -moving between poetic, lyrical and the vernacular, yet the style and voices are all authentic. The characters in the novel face the issues important to all young people - friendship, relationships, family, and, most vital of all concerns - growing up to have an identity that makes you an individual.

And, although "Snigger James on Grey" is not a love story as such, it is a story about the importance of love. ( )