This is an emotional story. It also teaches people life lessons that could happen to anybody. It makes readers feel better about themselves when they read about the different problems that one of the character experienced.

A short novel in free verse, exploring a college-bound 14-yr-old babysitter's experience sitting for a teenage mom. Wolff has an excellent ear for language and line breaks; she isn't just chopping up prose into lines. One of my favorites on this list, for Wolff's great craft.