It's All About Us by Shelley Adina

Most teen girl fiction tends to be about romance and love, and dreams about the future...right?

WRONG!! Finally, some authentic voices in teen girl lit are sounding out, and real life issues are being addressed in ways that eliminate the secret and ring out the truth. I'm pleased to welcome Shelley Adina to my top ten list of teen lit authors!

In her debut teen lit novel, "It's All About Us", Shelley introduces us to the girls of Spencer Academy. For those who know Nickelodeon, think "Zoey 101 Gets Saved!" While the privilege and wealth of these girls may feel a bit alienating at first, their real life issues and genuine faith struggles quickly make the reader feel right at home!

Lissa Mansfield is the newbie at Spencer, and she's not used to being in the "B" crowd. The "A" list is where she longs to be, and she'll do just about anything to get there. But her roommate, Gillian Chang, just might have something to say about it all.

While both girls have faith in Christ, Gillian has a tendency to exercise hers more, and to have a more solid foundation. So when Lissa tends to go off the deep end, Gillian is the voice of reason. As well as Lissa's best friend from back home, Kaz (yes, he's a boy!).

Written in first person and in conversational style, "It's All About Us" draws the reader in and hooks from page one. With the use of IM and email, this is a typical, solid teen lit book. This might not appeal to everyone--some don't like their reading interrupted by texting or IM'ing, but I don't mind it a bit.

In fact, I'm eager to read what Shelley has next. Moms and Dads, a word of caution...this is a book for older teens, and should probably be read by YOU first. There's some pretty intense issues covered between covers, but they need to be brought out into the light of God's Word.

Shelley does just that. I'm giving "It's All About Us" five out of five bookmarks, with a purity ring that comes with a key...and, girls, do not let ANY guy turn that key, okay? Even just to test the lock!

Happy Reading!

Deena