Book excerpt: Two schools, one in Ireland and one in England, have decided to set up a pen-pal programme between their pupils. Luke is hoping to get an English boy to write to, but instead he gets stuck with Elma, who would prefer an Irish girl as her penpal. Reluctantly, the two begin their correspondence. Life is not going well for either Luke or Elma, so they invent new, more glamorous lives for themselves in their letters, little realising how similar their true lives actually are. However, when things take a turn for the worse, Elma has no one to confide in except Luke. He offers some useful advice and in turn tells the truth about his life and family. Together they realise that things are beginning to look up....