Dear Nobody: The True Diary of Mary Rose

Gr 9 Up—In this actual, posthumously published diary, the teenager is brutally honest about her problems with her mom and her mom's abusive boyfriend, her sexual encounters, and her addictions to alcohol and drugs. Lonely and looking for relationships, the girl begins every entry with "Dear Nobody." Readers learn early on about Mary's stints in rehab, but it is a third of the way into the book when it is revealed that she has cystic fibrosis. Mary Rose has been in and out of the hospital all her life with this disease, but she doesn't dwell on it. Like the fictional Go Ask Alice (Prentice Hall, 1971), this is a first-person account of a girl detailing the poor choices she has made. Though a depressing picture emerges, the writing style has a beautiful lyricism. Teens may not understand Mary Rose's decisions, and they may dislike how those who care about her treat her, but readers will appreciate this unflinchingly honest work.—Elizabeth Kahn, Patrick F. Taylor Science & Technology Academy, Jefferson, LA