About This Book

Told from a variety of perspectives, eleven magnificently crafted stories are united in their depiction of teenage girls finding their own strengths. A modern-day Cinderella decides to make her own life journey rather than believe the fantasy. Marguerite, whose dancing leads others to ostracize her, finds a place for herself when she goes to college. Many of the struggles these girls face are within themselves: When boys enter the picture and everything starts to change, Molly-Be-Gone and her friends vow to "stay true" to themselves and each other. Overweight Grace searches for her own identity, which is buried within the large body everyone else sees.

Family provides many other issues: Bebe must convince her grandmother to let her take a summer job; Consuela's father keeps her from joining a school field trip; Miranda takes pity on her mother's boyfriend and takes a tentative step toward friendship. In perhaps the most disturbing story, a girl is sent to live with her married sister, where she ultimately shoots and kills her abusive brother-in-law. Far from being sensational, however, this story joins the others in giving a realistic view of the harrowing and moving events that could lead to such a result.

In this spellbinding collection, editor Marilyn Singer, who has written more than fifty books for young people, brings together some of the best authors in contemporary young adult fiction: Anne Mazer, C. Drew Lamm, M.E. Kerr, Rita Williams-Garcia, Norma Fox Mazer, Marion de Booy Wentzien, Peni R. Griffin, Andrea Davis Pinkney, Jennifer Armstrong, and Marian Flandrick Bray, as well as Singer herself. Full of humor, poignancy, and thoughtful exploration, their selections challenge young women (and their friends) to think and consider their own steps toward growth and independence.

About the Authors or Illustrators

Marilyn Singer

An award-winning author, Marilyn Singer lives in Brooklyn, New York, with her husband, Steve; their standard poodle, Easy; three cats named Freckle, November, and August; two collard doves named Jubilee and Holiday; and a starling named Darling.

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