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Adrift on St. John by Rebecca M. Hale
Alan Mendelsohn, the Boy From Mars by Daniel Pinkwater
Bad Girls by Jane Yolen and Heidi E. Y. Stemple
Bluffton by Matt Phelan
Brave Harriet: The First Woman to Fly the English Channel by Marissa Moss
Brother, I'm Dying by Edwidge Danticat
Bullying Under Attack by John Meyer
Dead City by James Ponti
The Dead of Night by Peter Lerangis
Dear Enemy by Jean Webster
Dear Teen Me by E. Kristin Anderson
Dust Girl by Sarah Zettel
Flora and Ulysses: The Illuminated Adventures by Kate DiCamillo
The Girl Who Soared Over Fairyland and Cut the Moon in Two by Catherynne M. Valente
Goggles! by Ezra Jack Keats
Good Night California by Adam Gamble
How to Moon a Cat by Rebecca M. Hale
How to Tail a Cat by Rebecca M. Hale
Junie B., First Grader, Shipwrecked by Barbara Park
Looks Like Daylight by Deborah Ellis
On the Road to Mr. Mineo's by Barbara O'Connor
A Question of Magic by E.D. Baker
The Sea Serpent and Me by Dashka Slater
Snuff by Terry Pratchett
Spider Woman's Daughter by Anne Hillerman
The Spooky Tail of Prewitt Peacock by Bill Peet
To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
Tommysaurus Rex by Doug TenNapel
Voltron Volume 1: Shelter from the Storm by Brian Smith
Wandering Son: Volume 1 by Shimura Takako Zombies Calling by Faith Erin Hicks

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5 stars: Completely enjoyable or compelling
4 stars: Good but flawed
3 stars: Average
2 stars: OK
1 star: Did not finish

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Comments for Dear Teen Me

Dear Teen Me: 05/26/14

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Dear Teen Me edited by E. Kristen Anderson is a collection of letters written by young adult authors to their teenage selves.

I suppose the point of such an exercise is to show struggling teenagers that things will get better. But it makes me wonder if there might be a disjoint between the audience and the messenger, especially when the people writing are now successful or famous.

On its most basic level these are little pep talks. They talk of an embarrassing event, or unfounded but universal fears of adolescence. The message over and over is "I went through that too and look at me now!"

What I'd like to see an an anthology like this written by adults who aren't famous. It would be nice to see the views from other adult walks of life, career paths, and what not.

Three stars

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