Kaitlin McAllister

Dear Sarah Dessen,

Teenage girls dream of having the perfect boyfriend, the perfect best friend, and the perfect life. When it comes to being perfect, you can count on that never happening, no matter how hard you try. Sometimes you wish you were in a whole different place with new people, where maybe you'll have the chance to be the person you want to be, and not have to worry about what other people think.

I felt this way when I read the book Just Listen.This book made me realize no one's life is perfect. It made me realize this because it told me what went through a regular, teenage, girl's mind. Sure, her life was changed. She still found a reason to live, even through the aftermath of that tragic event. Annabel knew she didn't have very many friends at the time, but was more concerned about the other activities and problems going on in her life.

One of the main things I learned from this book was that I, and all girls, should to stand up for themselves, and not let anyone else write their life story. When Macy lost all of her friends after the incident, it dawned on me that you should always stand up for yourself, no matter what. If you let someone boss you around just once or twice, he or she might think they can control your life, and you won't do anything about it. My sister, who is two years older than me, thinks she can boss me around and do whatever she wants to do. For example, when she's told to go do the laundry, she'll say I haven't done anything and yell until I do it. Lately, I've been getting sick of it, so I just tell her she was told to do it, so she can get off her butt and get it done. Of course, when you stand up for yourself, someone else will be affected in some way. Even if they're mad because you're not doing what they wanted you to do, and you feel bad because you hurt their feelings, you'll soon feel better when you're not having anyone tell you how to live your life.

You know how people say to make new friends, but keep your old ones, too? When I came into junior high I was nervous because I knew my friends from my school wouldn't be in all of my classes with me. I didn't know many other kids in our grade from the other schools in our community, so I didn't like any of my classes that well. That was until I started talking to some of them. Now we hang out all the time and I'm really grateful for them, even if I never thought we would end up being so close. Reading the part in the book when Annabel was judging Owen without even knowing him, and then later when they started hanging out more, I thought of how boring my life would've been without taking a chance and getting to know more people.

As you can see, my life has been greatly changed since reading your book. Living your own life, in your own way, is something I've always thought about, but now know how much more important it is. Even if you're not perfect, you should still try your hardest to be the best you can be.

Sincerely,
Kaitlin McAllister