I used to use his books as a reward system while working through the OU. As in drop assignment through tutor's letter box at about 11.30 p.m. on deadline day, and pick up and read next book on D+1 before starting next unit on D+3. As it had taken me some time to discover them, I didn't have to wait for the new one to come out. I was also using the OU as a rationing system, as in, not buying the next one until I had submitted the assignment.

I'm very much enjoying the Tiffany books. The latest came out just in time for me to read the extracts concerning the girls'"relational bullying" to my class, who needed it just at that moment. (I had asked at a conference if the bookshop had anything helpful, but they said that books would be published next year - very helpful for last year's class.) Odd thing, the ring leader of my little bunch clearly identified herself with Tiffany, and recognised the bullying behaviour as something she had experienced from someone else. And I don't know who.

But the real reason I enjoy them is because of the Chalk - my great grandfather was a shepherd (we don't know if he had a hut, though). When he died, the local paper said that he had loved the sheep as much as his family. A bit ambiguous, that.

Penny