Dear Teen Me from Author Jonathan Chesner (ADHD in HD: BRAINS GONE WILD)
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Dear teenage me,
Jonathan, age 15, with his brother Michael and Keisha the dog.
What’s up? It’s future me (technically “future you”).
Knowing you, I’m sure you’re wondering, “How can I be sure it’s really future me? What if this is a trick?”
Check it out: I still surf Black’s Beach, I still hate L.A., and I still love Chinese food . . . I still like furry little dogs, still like rap music, and still say ‘dude’ a lot.
(Now do you believe me?)
I’m not really sure what I should say to you because I don’t really want you to do anything differently that might mess things up in the future. (In movies it’s always a bad idea to travel back in time and change things.) I mean, you probably should try harder in college and some other stuff . . . but in the future things are pretty awesome, so let’s not change anything.
What I do want to do is remind you of a few important things: continue reading…
Dear Teen Me from Author Courtney Brandt (THE LINE SERIES, CONFESSIONS OF A TEENAGE BAND GEEK)
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Dear Teen Me,
You have no idea. Literally, no idea where your life is going to go. You are going to leave the state, move out of the country and have a world of adventures waiting for you. The best part? You get started soon!
Teen Courtney during her (original) drumline days, circa the author's junior year at Brookwood HS.
I know right now you’re worried that this boy or that boy won’t like you back – that you seem to have the very worst luck imaginable when it comes to the opposite sex, but take pride in this – those boys who are your friends now will remain your friends for a very long time and that is worth more than you think it is. When all is said and done, there will be boys in your life – a great first love (who was definitely worth waiting for), (as always!) various crushes, and finally, an amazing person you’re going to spend the rest of your life with. While having someone who loves you does complete your life in a specific way, don’t worry – you can take pride in knowing you have always and will always be an individual. To the point, even though we get married at a young age, you will remain Courtney Brandt. Changing our name is not something we compromise on (nor would your future husband ask you to!). continue reading…
Dear Teen Me from Author Stephanie Guerra (TORN)
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Dear Sixteen-Year-Old-Self:
Teen Stephanie in Vegas.
Hi, you funny, ridiculous person. Keep a better diary, okay? You’re going to remember these times extremely fondly when you’re a buttoned-up professional, good mom, loyal wife, and registered voter.
Right now you’re living a bizarre but extremely fun life. You’ve been on your own for six months now, and you’re working three jobs, one of them a graveyard shift. You’re living mostly on mini-thins (still legal and sold at gas stations), caffeinated beverages, and frozen yogurt. You sleep every other night, and you also sleep a lot in school. You made a deal with the principal: unlimited absences in exchange for a 4.0. He was a smart man who saw a potential drop-out and made a deal that kept her in school. Thank you, Mr. West. continue reading…
Dear Teen Me from Author Kody Keplinger (THE DUFF, SHUT OUT, A MIDSUMER’S NIGHTMARE)
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Dear Teen Me,
Me on my 17th birthday, with my very best friend in the world. This is back when I thought fingerless gloves were VERY cool.
I’m writing to you from the not-so-distant future. It’s about five-and-a-half years from where you are. I’m on the verge of turning the big 2-1, and that pipedream you have of making money by writing? Well, it’s come true.
I’m not as cool as you hoped I would be at twenty-one, but I’ve figured a lot of stuff out over the past few years, and life’s not too shabby. I live New York City, my third novel is coming out next month, and I have much, much better hair than you (embrace the curls, babe. You’re life will be better for it.) But there are a few things I wish I had done at your age. continue reading…
Dear Teen Me from Author Jennifer Nielsen (THE FALSE PRINCE)
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Dear Teen Me –
Teen Jennifer!
Let’s just put it out there – the teen years are tough. I remember. But there’s a hill for every valley, and, like a rollercoaster, don’t worry about the downs because it only prepares you for a great ride up. And the ride itself is wonderful. These years will be some of the best of your life, and over time, the great memories will outweigh the bad.
Not that you don’t have hard times. I’m thinking of one time in particular – the day you learned your family was moving. It had been a wonderful dream to find that home, exactly right for your family, and so much nicer than the rental place. And I know you hadn’t been there long before the news came that you would have to move. To who knew where.
continue reading…
Dear Teen Me from Author Cat Winters (IN THE SHADOW OF BLACKBIRDS)
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Dear Fourteen-Year-Old Cat,
Cat at 14.
I know you heard what that boy sitting in one of the seats behind you said about you. It’s not as bad as what some people have said (the guy on the bike who called you an ugly dog comes to mind). Yet you still feel like a freak of nature.
The boy leaned over to the student in front of him and told her, “That girl never talks.”
Right now your neck prickles with the uncomfortable sensation that other kids are staring at you, and your face burns with a blush. Your voice shrinks down to the bottom of your throat. You wish you could summon the courage to say, “I just moved to this town and don’t know a soul in this classroom. I’m traumatized by these horrifying auto-safety films like Red Asphalt, and I don’t want to be here.”
But instead you say nothing. You stay inside your shell—mortified, miserable, alone. continue reading…
Dear Teen Me from Author/Poet Julie E. Bloemeke (JASPER SPEAKS)
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Dear me, circa 1989,
Teen Julie in the green dress.
Let’s face it.
You are not a girl of my past. You were, until recently, not a memory but a way of being. As in, I had to stop myself, question, who is driving right now, present me or teen me? Because a long time ago, you lured me, gave me the reigns of your sorrow, and in my sadness for you, I turned them over, hoping to heal you.
See, I wanted this letter to begin differently.
I wanted it to be edgy, quick on the language draw, high on the laugh, the remember when. I wanted to list the fun and frolic: your V-neck Forenza sweaters worn backwards, the plastic heart chains hanging from your grey nylon purse, the notes folded into envelopes (tuck the triangle!). I wanted to wax haha on how you wore boxers versus a slip under your private school uniform, carved the names of boys you loved into the windowsill (oops, I told!). I wanted to celebrate how you owned your quirk in the way that you listened to Neil Diamond, embraced your introvert by falling asleep, crying to Whitney Houston’s “The Greatest Love of All.But every time I tried to steer us lighthearted, back to Corey Hart concerts, Wet ‘n’ Wild lipstick, drinking lime phosphates at the 50’s themed Molly’s restaurant in Toledo, Ohio, you smiled with me, shook your head, said, “No. Write how we finally made peace. Write what we became.”
And I realized you are right. It is time we told the truth. ”
Dear Teen Me from Author Colleen Houck (TIGER’S CURSE SERIES)
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Dear Teen Me,
Collen's Junior year photo while she attended Sahuaro High School, in Tucson, AZ..
The first thing you must know is that there is a fabulous guy waiting for you to find him so don’t worry about the drama of missing out on having a high school boyfriend or a date to the prom. Those things are not as important as meeting the right guy.
I have to add that your guy is awesome. He’s the handsome prince you were always hoping for—a friend you can rely on who will support you and love you. Someone you have so much in common with, you’ll wonder how you got so lucky. Just don’t give up on him when he gets cold feet early on in your dating.
Next, your parents are great. They’re not out to get you at all and they aren’t trying to make your life difficult or limit you in any way. Listen to their advice and nurture your relationships with them and with your brothers and sisters.
Enjoy being young. Try some new things that might be scary. Go sky-diving, learn how to snorkel, or go horseback riding. Join some clubs at school. Take a dance class. Learn martial arts. Staying as quiet as a mouse in the background is safe but it’s not for you. You have a great sense of humor so share it and let people get to know you. continue reading…
Dear Teen Me, from Author Hilary Graham (REUNITED)
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Dear Teen Me,
You are not like everyone else. You are never going to be like everyone else. There. I’ve said it.
It doesn’t matter how many ESPRIT shirts you own (even the lilac off-the-shoulder one), or if you can recite all the lyrics to Don McLean’s “American Pie” (you can), or whether or not you cried, just like the rest of America, when they finally pulled Baby Jessica out of the well. ‘Cause you did.
Dear Teen Hilary, as it turns out, not all men are McFlys. Just most of them.
You claim you want to fit in, yet you never quite do. So you walk around blaming the world for making you feel like and outsider—accusing your classmates of being unimaginative suburban lemmings, or pinning it on the fact that you’re a Jew in a town full of Catholics, or because you’re the only girl you know with thick, curly un-featherable hair. Not to mention that it’s dark brown, so you can’t even spritz it with Sun-In unless you want to end up with a horrid penny-colored streak. Hypothetically speaking. continue reading…
Dear Teen Me from Author Katherine Grace Bond (THE SUMMER OF NO REGRETS)
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Dear Kathy,
Katherine's senior picture, 1981.
He is not worth your time. Yes, I know he is the president of the Honor Society, and I know you have written about him in your diary every day for a year, but he is not worth it. I know he has a cute smile and that he claims to have once fought for his life in a Hawaiian body of water known as the Toilet Bowl, but there are other fish in the sea.
Yes, I understand that one of those fish is the paperboy who is a year younger than you, and who paid your brother a dollar to let him into the backyard when you were sunbathing in a bikini. I am aware that after that private viewing, he bought you a box of Valentine chocolates and returned each day the week following asking if you would give him one. He, also, is not the boy for you. (And I know this is a relief.) continue reading…
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