Diaries & Letters

Go Ask Alice by Anonymous (FIC GO)

         A teenager whose life is dominated by her drug problems recounts in her diary her experiences from her indoctrination into the world of drugs to three weeks before her death.

The Perks of Being A Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky (FIC CHB)

         Charlie, a freshman in high school, explores the dilemmas of growing up through a collection of letters he sends to an unknown receiver.

Catherine, Called Birdy by Karen Cushman (FIC CUS)

         The thirteen-year-old daughter of an English country knight keeps a journal in which she records the events of her life, particularly her longing for adventures beyond the usual role of women and her efforts to avoid being married off.

Don't You Dare Read This, Mrs. Dunphrey by Margaret Peterson Haddix (FIC HAD)

         In the journal she is keeping for English class, sixteen-year-old Tish chronicles the changes in her life when her abusive father returns home after a two-year absence.

Letters from Rifka by Karen Hesse (FIC HES)      

         In letters to her cousin, a young Jewish girl chronicles her family's flight from Russia in 1919 and her own experiences when she must be left in Belgium for a while when the others emigrate to America.

The Diary of A Young Girl: the Definitive Edition by Anne Frank (B FRA)

         An uncut edition of Anne Frank's diary includes entries originally omitted by her father and provides insight into Anne's relationship with her mother.

Tangerine by Edward Bloor (FIC BLO)

         Twelve-year-old Paul, who lives in the shadow of his football hero brother Erik, fights for the right to play soccer despite his near blindness and slowly begins to remember the incident that damaged his eyesight.

Letters from A Slave Girl: the Story of Harriet Jacobs by Mary E. Lyons (FIC LYO)

         A fictionalized version of the life of Harriet Jacobs, told in the form of letters that she might have written during her slavery in North Carolina.

Angus, Thongs and Full-Frontal Snogging: Confessions of Georgia Nicolson by Louise Rennison (FIC REN)

         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. Also Knocked Out By My Nunga-Nungas: Further, Further Confessions of Georgia Nicolson.

The Color Purple by Alice Walker (FIC WAL)

         The lives of two sisters--Nettie, a missionary in Africa, and Celie, a southern woman married to a man she hates--are revealed in a series of letters exchanged over thirty years.

Breathing Underwater by Alexandra Flinn (FIC FLI)

         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.

Leslie's Journal by Allan Stratton (FIC STR)

         Leslie's world seems to be crashing around her and she records it all in a journal.

The Secret Diary of Anne Boleyn by Robin Maxwell (FIC MAX)

         Upon her coronation as Queen, Elizabeth I receives her mother Ann Boleyn's diary and learns of her love for her and her torment at the hands of Henry VIII.

Goodbye, Mr. Chips by James Hilton (FIC HIL)

         A retired teacher reminisces about his years at Brookfield school, the thousands of boys he had known, and his happy marriage.    

The Music of Dolphins by Karen Hesse (FIC HES)

         After rescuing an adolescent girl from the sea, researchers learn she has been raised by dolphins and attempt to rehabilitate her to the human world.