Dear John---Nicholas Sparks

Dear John takes place after the 9/11 attacks. It shows the story of a solider and the love one girl keeps for her man at war. The two fall in love fast after a short military break. With the promises of writing the two are separated. After the attacks in New York took place Savannah's world is flipped upside down and decisions are made. A Dear John letter is sent and John's world is sent into a spin. As the story plot progresses important decisions are made between the two in love. Throughout the plot love is the underlying theme of the story and how two can fall in such a deep love after just a few dates.

Little Woman by Louisa May Allcott

I chose to include this novel as my last choice because when I was young adult teen, it was my favorite novel and I do feel like every teen girl can find inspiration through one if not ALL of the March sisters!

Little Woman follows the journey of four sisters, throughout the course of their lives. The book is narrated through Jo March (my favorite sister) and highlights the lives of Amy, Beth and Meg March, as well. The book highlights all aspects of life from poverty, to lessons learned, to falling in love and most importantly, the value of family. It also deals with death and the twist and turns that life can take. Primarily the novel follows each girl on their individual adventures through life. Jo becomes a writer, Beth becomes ill and dies, Amy surprisingly marries Laurie (a close family friend) and Meg, the oldest sister, marries Mr. Brooke and lives happily ever after. The girls carry through life guided by the principles Marmee (their mother) has taught them and inevitability find their own individual recipes of happiness!

The Princess Diaries By Meg Cabot

Have you ever blown out your candles on your birthday cake and wished you could be a princess? Most girls do, accept Mia Thermopolis who was content being an average ninth grader, who easily blended into the crowd and spent her extra time with her cat Fat Louie, her Best friend Lilly and her artistic mother. Mia gets the shock of her life when her ill father informs her that he is a prince of an entire country and she is his only heir. Mia is crowned Princess of Genovia, a small European country, once she learns her father's illness makes him infertile. Mia is at first shocked by this news and can not imagine being a princess with her awful hair and flat chest but ultimately rises to the occasion and is crowned Princess of Genovia. Along for the ride, is her grandmother (the queen of Genovia) who gives Mia "princess lessons," her best friend Lilly, Micheal (Lilly's brother) and of course various characters from Mia's school (Albert Einstein High School) who suddenly take notice of Mia once her secret is revealed. Princess Diaries is entitled so because the book is a series of diary entries personally from Mia, documenting her journey from an average fifteen year old to a Princess and the lessons she learns along the way!

Cut by Patricia McCormick

After the school nurse notices the marks on her arm, Callie's dangerous habit is exposed - sending her to Sea Pines for treatment and changing her life drastically. Callie, an otherwise normal 15 year old, cuts herself in order to experience the physical pain, not because she wants to kill herself. Callie is a quiet teen who keeps all her emotions bottled up inside; her only release is cutting. At Sea Pines, she meets other teen girls with destructive habits such as drinking, drugging, or various eating disorders. Also through her group therapy, Callie meets Amanda, whose problem is similar to her own. Finally, Callie begins to open up about why she cuts herself, though the therapy does become too much at one point, causing an incident where Callie almost undoes all improvement made. To truly move past this destructive and life-threatening behavior, Callie must not only come to terms with the root of her problem, but also confront her loved ones. This is an issue that effects much more than just the cutter themselves. Callie's story takes the reader inside the mind of a self-mutilator, evoking both understanding and compassion for a too-common issue among teens.

Life in the Fat Lane by Cherie Bennett

This book is great, especially for teen girls. The story gives a detailed and heartbreaking glimpse into the minds of teen girls struggling with body image issues. The main character, Lara, has always been the prettiest most popular girl in her high school. She appeared to have the perfect body, perfect family, perfect boyfriend, and perfect life.

Lara's life takes a drastic turn when she is diagnosed with a rare disease called Axell-Crownes disease. This disease causes her to gain weight (in Lara's case 100lbs) and she is unable to stop gaining. Once Lara gains the weight, her life starts to fall apart. She is bullied and teased at school, her boyfriend gradually becomes less and less interested in her, and her parent's marriage is falling apart. Lara begins taking drastic measures to lose weight such as restricting food, over exercising, and taking laxatives.

The story is about Lara's journey and learning how to accept herself.

I think this story is especially poignant for teen girls who are constantly struggling with their bodies. This book does not, in any way, glamorize the life of an anorexic or bulimic. It dictates the harsh reality and severity of this disease and digs deeper into the root of many issues. I think Lara is a character that many teens girls will be able to relate to.

That Summer (Sarah Dessen)

This story is one that many girls in high school can relate to. Have you ever been the tallest in your class or have your parents in the middle of a divorce, well for fifteen year old Haven she had both.

It was the summer going into her sophomore year her parents were getting a divorce and at five foot eleven she felt as thought she would never fit in. Her older sister was in the midst of planning a wedding to a man that Haven wanted nothing to do with. Nor did she want her sister to have anything to do with him. Well all of this is happening her father has decided to get remarried, and a blast from the past enters to throw a twist into the plot of the story.

This book starts off slow, but as the plot twists so does the interest level. You will find yourself at the point were you do not want to put it down just so you know who ends up with who and what happens in the end to poor Haven who had her world flipped upside down just in one summer.

Breathe My Name by R.A. Nelson

Frances Robinson seems like an average teenage girl. She lives in Alabama with her normal yet overprotective parents. She is a junior in high school, with a best friend and an exciting new love interest. In every way Frances looks like your typical teen. But Frances is not exactly what she seems. Her real name is Francine Jelks, nicknamed "Shine" by her birth mother. Years ago when she was just a small child, her mother tried to suffocate Francine and her three little sisters with a pillow. Francine was the only sister to survive, thanks to a man who heard her struggle and intervened. Following this highly publicized incident, her mother was institutionalized and Francine was adopted by the Robinsons, thereby becoming Frances, a normal American teenager. Lately memories have been rising up in Frances, just in time to receive a letter from her birth mother's attorney. The letter is written by her birth mother, and it carries an eerie message that provokes Frances to go against her parents' wishes and make the journey to see her insane mother. Through this journey that she makes with her new boyfriend, Nix, Frances comes to confront and accept her tragic past. All while experiencing the novelty of falling in love with Nix, she discovers new places and meets new people that lead her to know more (and remember more) about her childhood. Her struggle is not one that just anyone could relate to, but regardless anyone will be easily drawn into her heart-wrenching story that keeps you on edge until the very end.

3 Willows by Ann Brashares

From the bestselling author of the popular Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants series, comes 3 Willows, a book about three different friends during their summer before high school. In the past year, Ama (an African-American girl born in Ghana), Polly (whose mother is an artist and whose father is unknown), and Jo (whose parents decide to separate after the death of her younger brother Finn) have become so distant that they're not sure if they're still "friends." The three girls are under the pressure of finding their identities, establishing reputations, and figuring out their future in high school and beyond. They must decide what being and having a friend is all about, and whether their new friends or their old friends (each other) are true friends. Ama unexpectedly finds herself at an adventure/wilderness camp instead of buried behind books studying for her straight As which will hopefully get her to Princeton like her sister. Jo spends the summer at her family beach house with a busgirl position at the local restaurant. And Polly is stuck at home babysitting the neighbors' children and dreaming about becoming a model.

Soon, the girls realize that things are not what they appear to be. Jo experiences her first relationship with the incredibly cute and charming Zach, which leads her to acceptance to the upperclassmen's clique until Zach's ex- (or not so ex) girlfriend comes back into the picture. Ama gets stranded from her group, abandoned in the unknown wilderness with only herself to lead the way. Polly attends modeling training school only to realize that being a model may not be realistic or true to her self. As the summer ends, the three girls reunite and discover the true meaning of friendship.

Plan B by Jenny O'Connell

Jenny O'Connell's Plan B tells the story of how high school senior Vanessa Carlisle's life is unexpectedly turned upside down. After discovering that the very famous teen heartthrob, Reed Vaughn, is in fact her half brother, Vanessa's plans begin to unravel. Not only does she learn this, but also Reed will be coming to live with her immediately to get away from the spotlight. At first Reed moving into her home seems like a curse, with her best friend having a not-so-secret obsession with the star and everyone else in town and at school being quite nosey. However, Vanessa and Reed's relationship grows and he ultimately brings new perspectives into Vanessa's strictly planned lifestyle. While Vanessa learns to let go of her controlling ways, Reed learns to tame it down. In Plan B we watch Vanessa overcome her control issues, deal with boys, relationships, and even choosing a college. However her most significant lesson is coming to accept her new and unconventional family life.

Nicholas Spark's, A Walk to Remember

This story is about a young man and woman set in 1958 on the coast in Morehead City in Beaufort, North Carolina. This story shows each readers about first love. Morehead City is a place where the townspeople wave hello from their cars whether they know the person or not. The young man is Landon Carter who is a seventeen-year-old high school senior whose father is a United States congressman. He and his father are strangers. His father interrupts into his life and insists that he run for student body president to increase his chances of getting into a good college. Landon succeeds in the election and assumes the responsibilities that come along with it.

He needs to find a date to the school dance and looks to a young woman Jamie Sullivan. She is a junior, and the minister's daughter. Jamie is the kind of young woman who wears old sweaters, plaid skirts and her hair up in a bun. She believes that whatever happens in life is according to the Lord's plan. She is obviously not your typical high school student.

With an untold secret soon the plot beings to change and things begin to spark between the two characters. This story is a great read and tells a story with so many emotions wrapped within the text. Truly a great story about a first love.

The Five People you Meet in Heaven by Mitch Albom

This book takes you on a journey through life and death. It encourages you to evaluate your life and the people in it. The main character in the story is Eddie. He is a crippled WWII veteran. He has had a long and difficult life. He was born into a broken home with a father who was an alcoholic who regularly beat and abused him. His father made ends meet by working at the local amusement park, Ruby Pier. His mother however, was his whole world because of her kind and nurturing behavior. Despite his mother's love, Eddie was still subjected to his father's addiction and rage. The story begins with Eddie's death. We learn about Eddie's life through flashbacks to his younger years.

The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants by Ann Brashares

The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants by Ann Brashares is a story about the journey of four teenage girls, who discover a magical pair of jeans. The worn and bleach stained jeans at first glance seem to be everything but magical but once each of the girls learn the power of this pair of jeans, they set out on a journey of a lifetime! The story begins when each girl learns that prior obligations or current interests have caused the inseparable group of girls to spend their very first summer apart. Carmen, Tibby, Bridget and Lena all encounter different situation over the course of this summer. Through both family and friendship troubles, first loves, and heartbreak, each girl finds the courage to accept these challenges and they all even find ways to rise above, with the help of the jeans by their side. Four girls who once considered themselves best friends, now know, with help from a magical pair of jeans, that they are much more like sisters!

Dreamland By: Sarah Dessen

Dreamland is a story that can hit close to all females. Dreamland is based around the theme of an abusive relationship. On the morning of Caitlin's 16 birthday her home life has been turned upside down. With this flips comes a man into her life that sways her into a dreamland of drugs. This life soon becomes all she knows is a life of him and drugs she is no longer allowed to be with friends her own age. She has many around her that care for her, but she can not find a way out. It goes as far as a trip to the hospital before things start to flip again. This is a touching story that can save the lives of many girls that might find themselves in this situation at some point or another in their lives.

Leftovers by Laura Wiess

Laura Wiess’ Leftovers tells the intense story of two 9^th grade best friends from the perspective of each. Blair is an only child from a rich family, consisting of a career obsessed mother and a cheating father. Both parents are very absent from their daughter’s life. Blair begins to drift after her parents lie about putting her dog Wendy to sleep. Blair’s mother, always concerned with appearances, often tries to set her daughter up with “good” boys to advance her own career and does not approve of her best friend Ardith. Meanwhile, Ardith’s parents have created a party house of their home. Thus, while Blair's life is closely controlled, Ardith has too much freedom. Her mother and father will allow her brother and his underage friends to drink and party in their home, even joining in. While she could do anything she wanted, Ardith is looked down on by her family for being a good student, not partying, and having dreams for a bright future. Ardith feels so unsafe in her home, particularly around her brother’s friends, that she padlocks her bedroom door. Together, Blair and Ardith deal with feeling unwanted and unloved, boys and abuse, and much more. Throughout the book, they strive to make the reader understand their horrible and shocking secret. Though they come from different backgrounds, the reader sees how the girls become almost co-dependent, ultimately even partners in crime.

Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver

A terrible accident takes Samantha Kingston's life. The catch: Samantha still wakes up the next morning. In fact, she relives the last day of her life seven times, until she realizes that by making even the slightest changes, she may hold more power than she had ever imagined.

Sweet Little Lies By Lauren Conrad

This is the second book in the L. A. Candy series of books by reality TV star Lauren Conrad. Sweet Little Lies continues where L.A. Candy left off, only now Jane Roberts is a famous, due to the reality TV show she stars in. Jane soon learns that being in the spotlight brings a variety of problems she did not anticipate, especially when she learns that unauthorized and revealing photos of herself, have been spotted in the media. This situation causes Jane to question her relationships in L.A., mainly her friendship with her childhood friend Scarlett Harp. Jane begins to question who she can trust, especially the producer of her TV show who insists on making Jane “act” out situations for hype, instead of portraying herself. Jane begins to realize that her life in the spotlight may not be worth the sacrifices she has to make in her personal life, especially those concerning her friendships, integrity and character.

Sarah Dessen's Someone Like You

Sarah Dessen's Someone Like You, absorbs readers into the world of Halley Cooke and her best friend Scarlett Thomas during the summer before their junior year of high school and during the school year up to prom. Since meeting Scarlett when she was eleven, Halley's life has revolved around Scarlett--someone she wishes she were more like. Halley has always been the consenting friend in the relationshiop while Scarlett took life by the horns and ran with it--dragging Halley along for the ride. When Scarlett calls Halley at camp in the middle of he night because her boyfriend Michael has suddenly died, Halley rushes home to her best friend's aid. Weeks later, Scarlett finds out she's pregnant and Halley seems to be the only one who supports her in her decision to keep the baby.

Throughout the book, Halley starts to change who she is. She can no longer tell her mother everything, despite how close they've been in the past. Halley is barely recognizable to her parents when she dumps their family friend's safe son Noah Vaughn and starts dating one of the school's bad boys and the lately deceased Michael's friend Macon Faulkner. With Macon, Halley has become separated from her old-self and sees herself as a different girl than the one from the beginning of the summer. Halley's metamorphosis gives a startling life lesson regarding relationships with mothers, best friends, family members, peers, and the boys who turn out to be different than what you thought they were. To Halley, turning sixteen is not just about getting her driving license; it's about getting her license to make her own decisions, and live and learn from her own experiences.

Chanda's Secrets by Allan Stratton

Chanda's Secrets, by Allan Stratton, is a book set in an African country struggling to survive in an AIDS epidemic where the very mention of AIDS sends everyone into panic and rumors about who has it and who doesn't. Funerals are a blooming business and everyone chooses to ignore the reasons why, except for the main protagonist, Chanda Kabelo. After her father and older brothers die in a mining accident, Chanda and her mother Lilian are left with the little "blood money" the mining company gave them to compensate for their losses. In order to provide for her family, Lilian has relationships with several men at different times, one of which ends after Lilian catches him sexually molesting Chanda. As a result of her relationships, Lilian gives birth to three other children, daughters Iris and Sara, and son Soly, who all have different fathers.

When one and a half year old Sara dies from a disease which causes her to wail consistently and uncontrolably from the pain the blisters all over her body cause her, Lilian is grief-stricken and sixteen-year-old Chanda is left caring for her family. Chanda shows remarkable courage and strength as she fights against everything her mother, family members, and neighbors would rather keep secret. She continues to be friends with Esther, regardless of the rumors that Esther has AIDS.

Chanda is burdened with secrets, and is caught between ignoring the issues like everyone else, or doing something about it. When her mother gets sicker, thinner, and more exhausted as the time passes, Chanda is left with keeping up the household. Her teachers believe she has the intelligence to fulfill her dreams of becoming a doctor, lawyer, or teacher; but when her mother goes back to their hometown to settle unfinished family business, Chanda is forced to put the care of her siblings above her own desires.

Weeks pass and Chanda hears no word from her mother. When Chanda realizes Sara's father Jonah died from AIDS, she realizes her mother is suffering from the same disease. Chanda bravely returns to Tiro and brings her mother home. Back home, nobody wants anything to do with Chanda's AIDS infected household. Chanda is the only one who dares to go against the tide. She refuses to ignore the AIDS issue like everyone else. After her mother dies, she gets tested (afraid that Isaac may have given her mother the disease, and her since she was sexually abused by him). Her siblings, Esther, and Esther's siblings get tested too. Everybody's results come back negative, except Esther's. In the end, the six live together in Chanda's home hoping and praying for a cure that will save Esther.

Waiting for You By: Susane Colasanti

In the book Waiting for You the main character Marisa has decided to make a change in herself from her freshman year self to what her sophomore year self will be. She wants to portray herself in a new way her second year. Her and her best friend Sterling have made a pact that they will forever live for the moment and try to find boyfriends. Friendships are renewed with old childhood friends. While rekindling friendships she also attracts the attention of charming and flirtatious Derek. Her parents have started to act different then previously. Her best friend Sterling tends to fail for older men on the Internet and can not stop. The lesson learned by Marisa in the end is that life has twists and turns and does not always turn out how a person may plan their life. Yet even with the changes that come it is not always the end of the world.

Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson

In a high school with clearly divided clans, Melinda Sordino is clanless. She is an outcast. After calling the police and ruining a summer party, her friends have all abandoned her and even complete strangers in her new school hate her. The trouble is not restricted to the halls of her school either. Melinda is even having problems with her parents. What prompted Melinda to commit social suicide and call the police that night? Is her reclusiveness merely a typical stage for many teenagers transitioning into high school? The mystery unwinds in this novel as Melinda struggles to find her voice against her attacker. Melinda is a victim not only of rape but also of her silence. Only when she speaks out about the events of that night can Melinda begin to heal. Speak is an inspiring Young Adult novel through which Laurie Halse Anderson addresses a too-often silenced issue among teens. Melinda acts as a damaged yet delightfully sarcastic heroine who will encourage any reader to, at the very least, always speak up.

L.A. Candy by Lauren Conrad

L. A. Candy is a book written by Lauren Conrad, star of hit reality shows such as Laguna Beach and The Hills. L.A Candy stars Jane Roberts, a young adult who decides to move to L.A. The book follows Roberts journey, while in L.A. and her success on a reality TV show. The book also follows Roberts thoughts and her relationships that change due to the glitz and glamour involved in Hollywood. Media is a huge element of the book and ultimately becomes the element that causes Jane Roberts to question whether life in LA. is what she really wants. The book is based on the importance of genuine friendships and remaining grounded in a fast pace city such as L.A. Although the book is listed as fictional, it is thought to be based on Lauren Conrad's (the author) own personal experiences.