the dramas that had recently happened. Her friendship with Christina (a much more healthy, equal friendship than the one she had with Celia), her success at the local running marathon, and her burgeoning relationship with Jared (Anonymous Boy), all give her a new-found confidence. She accepts that Celia will always be her friend, but that perhaps not her best friend, and that that is okay. The last page is Elizabeth writing a letter to one of the clubs that had been sending her letters and bringing her down, telling them that she never wants to hear from them again and if they write to her still, she won't open the letter, signifying the change in the way she sees herself. Awards Feeling Sorry For Celia has won several awards, including: Winner in 2001 of the Ethel Turner prize A Children's Book Council of Australia Notable Book A BookSense 76 Pick An American Library Association Best Book for Young Adults A White Ravens selection Critical reception The critical reception was generally favourable. Sally Murphy from Aussiereviews.com said, "Feeling Sorry For Celia is truly an outstanding piece of adolescent fiction." Lucy Burns from Teenreads.com, called it "thoroughly charming". The Sunday Telegraph in the United Kingdom also gave it a positive review, stating: "Altogether funnier, cleverer and more wide-ranging than others of its genre." The Sunday Age in Australia praised Moriarty, saying, "It's Moriarty's skilful use of humour that prevents Feeling Sorry for Celia from being just a bleak, angst-ridden tale about blackheads and oily hair. It is full of drama, grief, confusion, yearning, desire, and letters and Post-It-Notes…. A lot happens – some good things, quite a few sad – but the characters have a depth and complexity that make them credible portraits of today's teenagers." Companion books Feeling Sorry for Celia has three companion books. They are not exactly sequels as the next three stories do not follow Elizabeth Clarry, though she is mentioned in all of them. All the companion novels centre around Ashbury and Brookfield. The first companion novel is Finding Cassie Crazy (The Year of Secret Assignments in the US). The second companion novel is The Betrayal of Bindy Mackenzie (The Murder of Bindy Mackenzie in the US, Becoming Bindy Mackenzie in the UK). Dreaming of Amelia (The Ghosts of Ashbury High in the US), the third companion novel, was released late 2009 in Australia, and 2010 elsewhere.