The essays in this book were written by girls aged 13-19. Each essay is a powerful look into the world of the teenage girl. Topics range from body image to sex and everything in between. This is a must read for anyone who works with teens or simply has a teen in their life. ( )

All of the essays in this book were written by girls ages 13-19, with the only criteria being that they had to write about their lives. While all of the essays are much more well written than the average high schooler could do (and trust me, I've seen some of the stuff kids leave in the printer when they accidentally print more than one copy of something -- it's not pretty), but some of them are extremely well written, period. A few of these essays just blew me away. Girls wrote about their bodies, their friends and families, eating disorders, 9/11, Hurricane Katrina, music, Johnny Depp, rock climbing and many more topics. These girls are smart and articulate and brilliant. ( )