When 14-year-old Diane meets Julia, she realizes it’s time to break out of her humdrum life.

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Diane is 14 and lives with her father and younger brother. At the cusp of becoming a woman, she is curious, cheeky, but also confused. When Julia, an assertive girl her own age with more experience moves into the neighborhood, Diane’s life changes radically. Diane and Julia quickly become friends and do all those things that that pubescent kids everywhere do – many of them really dumb.

Adolescence is a favorite topic of both books and movies. But it is rare to find the subject treated with the surprising subtlety and sensitivity of Puppy Love. A kind of chamber piece with realistic drama and no false prudery, it treats both its characters and the subject matter with respect. Exciting!