A collection of ten stories about the problems of young teenagers in the Cwmtaff area, and their struggle to come to terms with life. First published in 1997.

Casgliad o ddeg stori am broblemau pobl ifanc yn eu harddegau yn ardal Cwmtaff, a'u hymdrechion i ddod i delerau â bywyd. Cyhoeddwyd gyntaf yn 1997.

These stories are not a comfortable read, nor should they be since their characters don't on the whole lead comfortable lives. The young people of urban Wales have few opportunities to be heard, either in fiction or in reality come to that. This is a glimpse into the heads of some of those young people. The stories are loosely linked – a kind of school-based series a million miles from Sweet Valley High.

The characters are not whingers; they try to sort out their own lives, if not always in ways adults might approve. Parents have walk-on parts; they are either cold and indifferent or an embarrassment. The loose connections between the characters who all attend the same school accurately reflect modern school life with its fluidity and relative lack of cohesion, unlike the sentimental view of school which is still often found in popular young people's fiction.

The stories enter the teenage world in a totally non-patronising way. They don't preach or moralise. The characters go on kicking out even when they've been told it's hopeless. Their lives are hard but not without humour; the story of Helen's mourning for Liam is funny and poignant. What impresses most is the humanity and dignity which the characters display. These are contemporary Welsh voices which must be heard.

Wendy Crockett

It is possible to use this review for promotional purposes, but the following acknowledgment should be included: A review from www.gwales.com, with the permission of the Welsh Books Council.

Gellir defnyddio'r adolygiad hwn at bwrpas hybu, ond gofynnir i chi gynnwys y gydnabyddiaeth ganlynol: Adolygiad oddi ar www.gwales.com, trwy ganiatâd Cyngor Llyfrau Cymru.