Clare has 13-year-old problems — a crush on her gym teacher, an issue with her underdeveloped breasts, well meaning but clueless parents, and, oh, an imaginary friend named Elsa. The lonely daughter of two career-track lawyers, Clare invented Elsa when she was five years old. Clare and Elsa are opposites: Clare's idea of style is her Superman T-shirt and torn blue jeans, while Elsa wears trendy outfits with matching accessories. Clare's sense of humor is dark and ironic; Elsa's is bright and clever. When Clare worries that she's too old to have an imaginary friend, chic and witty Elsa leaves for Paris. Throughout the novel, Clare shares her woes in letters to her best, albeit imaginary, friend. "Dear Elsa," she writes, "I went to school without you today.
