Dear Diary
3 NBs of Julian Drew by James M. Deem(1994)The journals of a troubled fifteen-year-old boy who lives with his father and emotionally and physically abusive stepmother and her children after the death of his own mother years ago.
The Actual real reality of Jennifer James by Gillian Shields(2006)While competing on a reality television show being filmed at her English high school, shy and bookish Jennifer James records her experiences in her diary.
Angus, thongs and full-frontal snogging by Louise Rennison(2000)Presents the humorous journal of a year in the life of a fourteen-year-old British girl who tries to reduce the size of her nose, stop her mad cat from terrorizing the neighborhood animals, and win the love of handsome hunk Robbie.
Breathing underwater by Alex Flinn(2001)Sent to counseling for hitting his girlfriend, Caitlin, and ordered to keep a journal, sixteen-year-old Nick recounts his relationship with Caitlin, examines his controlling behavior and anger, and describes living with his abusive father.
Diary of an anorexic girl by Morgan Menzie(2003)A young girl keeps a diary recording her struggles with anorexia.
Life as we knew it by Susan Beth Pfeffer(2006)Through journal entries sixteen-year-old Miranda describes her family's struggle to survive after a meteor hits the moon, causing worldwide tsunamis, earthquakes, and volcanic eruptions.
Miss Smithers by Susan Juby(2004)Sixteen-year-old Alice MacLeod's life as an outcast begins to change when she experiments with being friends with different sorts of people, tries drinking alcohol and eating meat, and competes in the Miss Smithers beauty pageant.
Monster by Walter Dean Myers(1999)While on trial as an accomplice to a murder, sixteen-year-old Steve Harmon records his experiences in prison and in the courtroom in the form of a film script as he tries to come to terms with the course his life has taken.
Oh my goth by Gena Showalter(2006)A fierce nonconformist, Jade faces her worst nightmare when she's trapped in a virtual reality game where everyone is goth and she's just one of the crowd.Syndetic Solutions
The Princess Diaries by Meg Cabot(2000)Fourteen-year-old Mia, who is trying to lead a normal life as a teenage girl in New York City, is shocked to learn that her father is the Prince of Genovia, a small European principality, and that she is a princess and the heir to the throne.
Real Teens: Diary of a Junior Year by Realteens
Scholastic teams up with "Teen" magazine to create an emotionally charged series, written in diary format, that documents the lives of eight real high-school students. The juniors share their experiences, feelings, and thoughts in an upfront and totally honest manner.Syndetic Solutions
Runaway by Wendelin Van Draanen(2006)After running away from her fifth foster home, Holly, a twelve-year-old orphan, travels across the country, keeping a journal of her experiences and struggle to survive.
Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson(2000)A traumatic event near the end of the summer has a devastating effect on Melinda's freshman year in high school.
Swan Town : the secret journal of Susanna Shakespeare by Michael J. Ortiz(2006)Restricted by the authorities from practicing Catholicism and forbidden by her parents from seeing a Puritan boy, Susanna, the daughter of William Shakespeare, vents her anger by writing in a journal and composing a play.
True confessions of a Hollywood starlet : a novel by Lola Douglas(2005)Teen movie star Morgan Carter retreats to a small midwestern town to recuperate anonymously after an overdose and rehabilitation, recording her thoughts in a diary.
Truth or dairy by Catherine Clark(2000)This is the journal of Courtney Von Dragen Smith: middle child, product of divorce, would-be vegetarian. She writes the first mega-negative page the day after her boyfriend, "such a Dave," breaks up with her because he's heading off to college. Angry and humiliated, Courtney vows to survive senior year on the anti-guy plan. But can she really give up guys and focus on friends, school, and her job at the hip cafe Truth or Dairy? Or will a stint in student government, an epileptic dog, and a guy named Grant ("like-the lake") Superior turn her world upside down and prove her journal right?
Web of lies by Beverley Naidoo(2006)Web of lies is the sequel to The Other Side of Truth.
Femi is in trouble. He's gotten involved with a gang of older boys and is telling so many lies to his family, he can hardly keep his head straight. His sister, Sade, knows something is going on, but she doesn't want to worry their father while he's waiting to hear if the family will be granted asylum in Britain. But with Femi growing more and more involved with the criminal gang, how long will any of them be safe?
Historical Fiction
A coal miner's bride : the diary of Anetka Kaminska by Susan Bartoletti(2000)Part of the Dear America Series.
A diary account of thirteen-year-old Anetka's life in Poland in 1896, immigration to America, marriage to a coal miner, widowhood, and happiness in finally finding her true love.
The journal of Jesse Smoke: a Cherokee boy by Joseph Bruchac(2001)Part of the My Name Is America Series.
Jesse Smoke, a sixteen-year-old Cherokee, begins a journal in 1837 to record stories of his people and their difficulties as they face removal along the Trail of Tears. Includes a historical note giving details of the removal.
The journal of Wong Ming-Chung : a Chinese miner by Laurence Yep(2000)Part of the My Name Is America Series.
A young Chinese boy nicknamed Runt records his experiences in a journal as he travels from southern China to California in 1852 to join his uncle during the Gold Rush.
Mable Riley : a reliable record of humdrum, peril, and romance by Marthe Jocelyn(2004)In 1901, fourteen-year-old Mable Riley dreams of being a writer and having adventures while stuck in Perth County, Ontario, assisting her sister in teaching school and secretly becoming friends with a neighbor who holds scandalous opinions on women's rights.
Moon over Tennessee : a boy's Civil War journal by Craig Crist-Evans(1999)A thirteen-year-old boy sets off with his father from their farm in Tennessee to join the Confederate forces on their way to fight at Gettysburg. Told in the form of diary entries.
My face to the wind : the diary of Sarah Jane Price, a prairie teacher by Jim Murphy(2001)Part of the Dear America Series.
Following her father's death from a disease that swept through her Nebraska town in 1881, teenaged Sarah Jane must find work to support herself and records in her diary her experiences as a young school teacher.
My secret war : the World War II diary of Madeline Beck by Mary Pope Osborne(2000)Part of the Dear America Series
Thirteen-year-old Madeline's diaries for 1941 and 1942 reveal her experiences living on Long Island during World War II while her father is away in the Navy.
The Pox party by M.T. Anderson(2006)Various diaries, letters, and other manuscripts chronicle the experiences of Octavian, a young African American, from birth to age sixteen, as he is brought up as part of a science experiment in the years leading up to and during the Revolutionary War.
This vast land : a young man's journal of the Lewis and Clark Expedition : a novel by Stephen Ambrose(2003)A fictional journal recounting the travels--from 1803 to 1806--of eighteen-year-old George Shannon, the youngest member of Lewis and Clark's Corps of Discovery, as the Corps explores the west and seeks a water route to the Pacific Ocean.
Online stories
ChaseR: a novel in e-mails by Michael J. Rosen(2002)When his parents decide to move to an old house in the country, Chase uses email to his friends back in Columbus, Ohio, and to his sister in college to help him deal with cicadas, deer hunters, and other changes in his life.
Click here : (to find out how I survived seventh grade) : a novel by Denise Vega(2006)Seventh-grader Erin Swift writes about her friends and classmates in her private blog, but when it accidentally gets posted on the school Intranet site, she learns some important lessons about friendship.
Diva by Alex Flinn(2006)Despite her mother's objections, sixteen-year-old Caitlin determines to pursue her dream of becoming an opera singer by attending a performing arts school in Miami.
Heart on my sleeve by Ellen Wittlinger(2004)From the end of high school to the beginning of college, Chloe and Julian deal with major changes in their families and friendships and explore their feelings for each other through emails, letters, and a visit.
An order of Amelie, hold the fries by Nina Schindler(2004)A series of humorous and sarcastic letters, emails, scratchings on take-out containers, newspaper clippings and other inventive exchanges between two teenagers trace a romance. Each page spread is devoted to one message.
Syndetic Solutions, Inc.
rob&sara.com by P.J. Petersen(2004)Rob, who lives at a school for troubled teenagers, and Sara, the sixteen-year-old daughter of an army colonel, meet in a poetry chat-room and develop a close relationship via email.
Snail mail no more by Paula Danziger(2000)Now that they live in different cities, thirteen-year-old Tara and Elizabeth use email to "talk" about everything that is occuring in their lives and to try to maintain their closeness as they face big changes.
TTFN by Lauren Myracle(2006)Sequel to TTYL.
Now high school juniors, Zoe, Maddie, and Angela continue to share "instant messages" with one another as one of them experiments with marijuana, another gets her first boyfriend, and the third moves three thousand miles away.
TTYL by Lauren Myracle(2004)Chronicles, in "instant message" format, the day-to-day experiences, feelings, and plans of three friends, Zoe, Maddie, and Angela, as they begin tenth grade.
The write stuff by Jahnna N. Malcolm(2005)Rachel is the "It Girl"--she has the looks and any guy she wants. Until Dylan. To get Dylan, Rachel has her best friend, Hannah, write an e-mail for her. It works. Dylan thinks he's falling for Rachel--but he's really falling for Hannah. Original.
Write me a letter
13 little blue envelopes by Maureen Johnson(1993)When seventeen-year-old Ginny receives a packet of mysterious envelopes from her favorite aunt, she leaves New Jersey to criss-cross Europe on a sort of scavenger hunt that transforms her life.
Bloodline: A novel by Kate Cary(2005)In this story told primarily through journal entries, a British soldier in World War I makes the horrifying discovery that his regiment commander is descended from Count Dracula.
Hang on in there, Shelley by Kate Saksena(2003)Shelley's just turned fourteen, but her life has turned upside down. When her mother lost her last job, she also lost their home. Shelley begins writing to Ziggy, the lead singer in her favorite band, Arctic 2000. Ziggy "speaks" to her with his lyrics, so she chooses him to confide in, as she's afraid to keep a diary in case her mother reads it: a lot of what she needs to write about is her mother's drinking problem. She's elated when she receives a postcard from him in reply: from Italy no less! Inspired and encouraged, she continues her correspondence, telling Ziggy about her growing problems with her mother, as well as trouble with some girls at school. And Ziggy always answers, usually with the phrase "Hang on in there, Shelley," but sometimes with something more, just enough so she knows he's listening, and he cares. A strong and endearing character, Shelley shines through the situations she's faced with and comes out on top.Syndetic Solutions, Inc.
Keep in touch : letters, notes, and more from The sisterhood of the traveling pants by Ann Brashares(2005)Companion to the film The sisterhood of the traveling pants.
The murder of Bindy MacKenzie by Jaclyn Moriarty(2006)Class brain Bindy Mackenzie has alienated her entire high school but when she realizes someone is trying to kill her, she has to make friends in order to get help.
The perks of being a wallflower by Stephen Chbosky(1999)Caught between trying to live his life and trying to run from it, Charlie is navigating through the strange worlds of love, drugs, "The Rocky Horror Picture Show", and dealing with the loss of a good friend and his favorite aunt.
The year of secret assignments by Jaclyn Moriarty(2004)Three female students from Ashbury High write to three male students from rival Brookfield High as part of a pen pal program, leading to romance, humiliation, revenge plots, and war between the schools.
Real diaries by real people
The anorexia diaries : a mother and daughter's triumph over teenage eating disorders by Linda M. Rio
A harrowing, yet inspiring, true story of one family's struggle to save their daughter. Excerpts from the actual diaries of a mother and daughter take readers inside their home, their family, and their minds to see how they react to, cope with, and ultimately win their battle over teen depression and eating disorders.Syndetic Solutions, Inc.
The diary of Latoya Hunter : my first year in junior high by Latoya Hunter(1993)Lively, poignant, and utterly winning, The Diary of Latoya Hunter is a timely portrait of adolescence--about the universal challenges of youth and about the ways it is shaped by the inner city. It is also a lively introduction to a delightful girl whose humor and idealism are inspirational.Syndetic Solutions, Inc.
The Freedom Writers diary : how a teacher and 150 teens used writing to change themselves and the world around them by Freedom Writers(1999)In this inspiring book, Erin Gruwell and her "unteachable, at-risk" students set out on a life-changing, eye-opening, spirit-raising odyssey against ignorance, misunderstanding, and the negative forces in their own lives. Beginning with their study of The Diary of Anne Frank and the Holocaust, the Freedom Writers seek out heroes in the wider world. As their writing projects develop, the students strive to become their own heroes.Syndetic Solutions, Inc.
We are witnesses : five diaries of teenagers who died in the Holocaust
These stark accounts of how five young people faced the worst of human evil are a testament, and an inspiration, to the best in the human soul.
Zlata's diary : a child's life in Sarajevo by Zlata Filipovic(1994)In a voice both innocent and wise, touchingly reminiscent of Anne Frank's, Zlata Filipovic's diary has awoken the conscience of the world....In one entry Zlata cries out, "War has nothing to do with humanity. War is something inhuman." In another, she thinks about killing herself. Yet, with indomitable courage and a clarity of mind well beyond her years, Zlata preserves what she can of her former existence, continuing to study piano, to find books to read, to celebrate special occasions - recording it all in the pages of this extraordinary diary.
How to write
Your name in print : a teen's guide to publishing for fun, profit, and academic success by Elizabeth Harper(2005)Make Your Mark Looking for a way to express yourself? Need some extra spending money? Do you want to beef up that college application package? Look no further than this book. With advice on how to write newspaper and magazine features, Web blogs, music and movie reviews, novels, graphic novels, short stories, and more, the father-daughter team of Timothy and Elizabeth Harper shows that it's possible for anyone who writes well to get published.Syndetic Solutions Inc.
Beginning writer's answer book(2006)Featuring 1,000 answers to the most commonly asked writing question, this edition has been completely revised and updated and offers submission techniques for all forms of writing.Syndetic Solutions, Inc.
A teen's guide to getting published : publishing for profit, recognition, and academic success by Jessica Dunn
A Teen's Guide to Getting Published is an exciting must-read for young writers wanting to see their work published. This revised edition, written by two successful former teen authors, offers practical writing tips and an expansive, up-to-date listing of print and online markets that publish student work. A Teen's Guide provides concrete advice, encouragement, and motivation to young authors looking to make their mark as writers.
Whatcha mean, what's a zine? : the art of making zines and minicomics by Mark Todd(2006)A complete how-to guide for teens on personal writing and self-publishing in the form of zines, this resource includes tips and tricks from creators at the forefront of the zine revolution, including John Porcellino, Dave Kiersh, and Allison Cole. Illustrations.
Writing for comics with Peter David by Peter (Peter Allen) David(2006)Superstar comics writer Peter David teaches readers how to write dynamic comics from start to finish, illustrated with panels from his work at Marvel and DC.
