The characters - other than Biscuits and grandad, I found the characters unlikeable and hard to put up with.

Alice and Gemma were born on the same day and even with very different personalities were best of friends. In this moving book, Jacqueline Wilson captures the power and intensity of girls’ first friendships with startling precision.Towards the beginning, Gemma is friends with Biscuits which is not so much shared by Alice, but this changes when the running away happened (the disliking for him became mutual), however as time slowly passes she realises what he did was out of care, and he just wants his special friend Gemma to be safe and happy. This book would be suitable for upper KS2, ages 9 and up, and is ideal for independent reading rather than reading as a class as it is likely to appeal to girls rather than boys.

The two are polar opposites; Gemma is a tomboy who likes playing wild and exciting sports, while Alice is girly and loves ballet and the color pink. She is Alice's best friend and is devastated when she learns Alice is moving to Scotland, having seen each other nearly everyday since the cradle. It doesn't matter that Gemma loves soccer while Alice prefers drawing, or that Gemma is always getting into trouble while Alice is a model student and daughter.Gemma receives a birthday card and charm bracelet from Alice reassuring her that despite Alice not being able to contact Gemma any longer, they will remain best friends forever. The book is about two best friends, namely Gemma and Alice who have been together since birth and who are also like chalk and cheese. Gemma and Alice will forever be apart unless they think of something to help them get through them growing apart.

The author's style of writing is very open and honest and this allows the reader to understand how each character feels at every stage.Awalnya kupikir karakter Gemma disini mirip Tracy Beaker (my least fav chara in JW books) tapi ternyata beda. I am a huge spoiler so I want to tell you many things I know I shouldn't--but that would spoil the fun, wouldn't it? The themes that appear in the story are things that children can really relate to, for example, moving away and making new friends. She has written over 100 books and is the creator of characters such as Tracy Beaker and Hetty Feather. In the TV series she is a ceasing smoker, which was not mentioned in the book, and works very hard as a self employed beauty therapist.