Katie Ouriou was 16 years old and eager to experience life in July 1996 when she left Calgary with her close-knit family to spend a year in France. By October 5, stricken suddenly by a rare and ruthless leukemia, Katie was dead.

Love Ya Like a Sister, edited by award-winning fiction author Julie Johnston, is an intimate introduction to Katie Ouriou through her e-mail correspondence with her three best friends back home. Katie wrote them frequently, often several times a day, and they wrote, called, and e-mailed back regularly.

Reading Katie’s correspondence is like eavesdropping on a one-sided conversation. The content is typical female teen stuff: worries about school, complaints about boredom, concerns about body image, fantasies about – and accounts of pressure from – guys, and oblique references to alcohol and drug use. While Katie had giddy highs and occasional lows, she was mostly resilient and exuberant. She delighted in discovering inspirational quotes, taking them to heart and sharing them with her friends. She constantly bolstered their self-esteem with declarations of her love for and belief in them.

Katie’s correspondence delivers a strong sense of both the girl she was and the friends she held so dear. Her letters and e-mail provide a sociological snapshot of middle-class teenage female friendship in the 1990s. By the time readers reach this book’s poignant close, more than a few tears will be shed. Girls 12 and up will feel the book most strongly. Flag it for hand selling and book talks.