Bright girls by Clare Chambers

HarperCollins Children's Books, 2009.
(Age range: 12 - 16 / Secondary) Rachel and Robyn are sent to stay with their Auntie Jackie in Brighton after an incident at their house causes their father to be concerned for their safety. Auntie Jackie runs a ball gown hire business out of her ramshackle terrace house. When Auntie Jackie fails to meet them at the railway station as planned they hop in a taxi and arrive at her home just as she does in a police car. They meet Adam a uni student who lives next door and who is attempting to look after his frail and forgetful grandmother, and Charlie, Aunt Jackie's lodger who is a musician and various characters that visit Auntie Jackie to utilise her skills.
The girls experience the difficulties of finding a respectable job, the interest and confusion involved in having 'boy' friends, the excitement of utilising musical talents, the consequences of bad choices and the up and downs of being a hero.
The author has woven an interesting and eventful story based on two quite different sisters and their adventures when faced with what appears initially to be a life threatening situation. I enjoyed this story and would recommend it to readers.
Tracy Glover