Diary of a Teenage Girl: Becoming Me by Melody Carlson - REVIEWED

About the Book:
In the fictional Diary of a Teenage Girl, sixteen-year-old Caitlin O'Conner reveals the inner workings of a girl caught between childhood and womanhood ... an empty life without Christ and a meaningful one with Him. Through Caitlin's candid journal entries we see her grapple with such universal teen issues as peer pressure, loyalty, conflict with parents, the longing for a boyfriend, and her own spirituality.

Follow Caitlin O'Conner as she makes her way from New Year's to the first day of summer - surviving a challenging home life, changing friends, school pressures, an identity crisis, and the uncertainties of "true love."

Caitlin experiences heartache, and encounters a new reality in her life: God. See how rejection by one group can - incredibly - sometimes lead you to discover who you really are...

My Thoughts:
Wow! Melody Carlson really does have a grasp on the things that matter to teens! She understands about the need to be liked for who they are, about the pressure to be part of the "in" crowd, about the awkwardness of being different than what is considered popular, about the difficulty of standing up for what you believe in. Caitlin O'Conner is a teenaged girl who is dealing with her life the best she can without a whole lot of real help from her parents. Well, not in a way that matters spiritually so much. Anyway, her youth group introduces her to life in Christ and all that it means, and she learns about the importance of avoiding temptations in areas that are common weaknesses for everyone - even Christians.

The reader witnesses Caitlin's growth over the course of the story, and I was SO PROUD of her by the end! She was such a good friend and good daughter in ways that really made a difference in her life. And Melody Carlson brilliantly captures it all in daily diary entries! I kept a diary myself for years - and still do to some extent - and I really could relate to Caitlin's story even from an adult standpoint!

Once again, I can highly recommend this book for the teens in your life who need a good book to read! Bravo, Melody! Well done!!


About the Author:
Melody Carlson published her first book in 1995 and she has been writing prolifically ever since. To date, Melody has published over 200 books, making her one of the top 20 most prolific authors of all time. With total sales of over 1.4 million her award-winning books include: Homeward, Love Finds You in Sisters, Oregon; Limelight; the Diary of a Teenage Girl series; the True Colors series; and the Charter House Girls series.

In her professional life, Melody has worn many hats: from pre-school teacher to political activist to senior editor. Currently, she writes full-time, and freelances from her home. She has two grown sons and lives in Sisters, Oregon with her husband, Chris, and Bailey, her chocolate lab. They enjoy skiing, hiking, and biking in the beautiful Cascade Mountains.