In Resisting Peer Pressure for Teens, young writers show that it's possible to stand up to the pressure they may feel from friends and some family members to be "cool." Inspire teen and preteen readers to take responsibility for and make wiser decisions about their lives with the essays in this book--each written by a teenager. Within these pages, Jamel A. Salter, Fan Yi Mok, and Charlene George, and many others, describe how and why they chose to keep it real and fight back against the pressure they felt from friends to use drugs and alcohol; have sex too early; lie, cheat, and steal; and skip or act out in school. Essays include: My Secret Love Losing My Friends to Weed Why Do So Many Teens Cheat? Can't Afford to Follow Hiding My Talent No More Why I Speak My Mind Sex Doesn't Make You a Man My So-Called Friends Making Me Dance Peer Pressure Ended Our Relationship I Want to Be Pretty and Popular The Trouble with Being a Virgin Thinking for Myself and more! Through these essays, teen readers will pick up new ways to say no and advice that will help them stay true to themselves, while parents, teachers, and caregivers will be provided a much-needed glimpse into how the world looks to our younger generations.

Sensitive issues of teen sexuality, coming out, homophobia, and relationships with family and friends are explored in a dozen articles authored by teens. Updated with new stories.

These teens have plenty of reasons to be angry: parental abuse, street violence, peer pressure, powerlessness, and more. The writers talk honestly about anger management for teens as they struggle to gain control of their emotions and stop hurting others and themselves.

There are more than 450,000 children living in foster care. The Heart Knows Something Different collects over three dozen personal narratives by young writers, ages 15 to 20, and provides an insider's account of growing up in "the system." It takes us into a world largely hidden from public view, and attests to the mix of pain and fear, and sometimes hope, and sometimes even happiness that the foster care experience involves.

Getting a new haircut. Surviving clothes shopping with Mom. Losing a beloved uncle to AIDS. Hearing the band Nirvana for the first time. These are just a few of the experiences that inspired this book's young authors to sit down and write. In thirty-five frank and intimate personal essays, they express their views on serious issues like violence, racism, and teen parenting, as well as common teen experiences like dating, getting first job, and starting college. Their stories resonate with their desire to discover who they are, through the written word, and to share their discoveries with their peers.