Dear Teen Me: Authors Write Letters to Their Teen Selves

Gr 6 Up—Fact: The teenage experience doesn't play out like it does in the movies. Stripped of its Hollywood gloss and thrown into harsh reality, it is a daily gauntlet of angst and anxiety and trial, but also of hard-won triumph. Here, in letters to their former teen selves, more than 60 young adult authors discuss friendship, first love, body image, abuse, depression, glory days, horror days, and how the experiences they had as teenagers helped shape them into the (mostly) well-adjusted adults they grew to be. These letters range from humorous to heartbreaking, and teens past, present, and future will find something they can relate to. Julia Whelan and Macleod Andrews do an admirable of job narrating the various letters (Zest Books, 2012) by authors such as Beth Fantaskey, Carrie Jones, Joseph Bruchac, Ilse Bick, and a host of others. The concept is creative, and listeners will love getting to know their favorite YA authors better. Unfortunately, the discs consistently end mid-letter, giving the recording a choppy, interrupted feel. Additionally, graphic segments don't translate well into audio format. This makes a nice supplement to the print version, but is not a necessary purchase. For additional letters, visit dearteenme.com.—Alissa Bach, Oxford Public Library, MI