Dear Diary

Like most teenage girls, I kept a diary growing up. I remember the first diary I received as a gift. It had a soft blue cover and a lock on the side. I wrote in it every night and locked it up before stowing it away in its hiding place. Eventually I transitioned from writing in diaries to writing in journals. What's the difference, you ask? My journals were unadorned college-ruled notebooks - nothing fancy, just bound pages of lined paper, which I greedily filled on a daily basis. I still have these notebooks, and they certainly give an interesting insight into my angst-ridden teenage mind. But there is one diary that I've been meaning to read, and I'm ashamed to admit it has sat on my bookshelf, unopened for too many years. Until now.

The Diary of a Young Girl
Written by Anne Frank
Published by Bantam
Lexile Level: 1080L
Luisterboek Award (2008)

Every time I sat down to read another entry in The Diary of a Young Girl, I had to remind myself that this isn't fiction -- this is a real diary by a real girl who is describing real events. This is an incredible story with surprisingly mature writing and an engaging narrative form that details a very dark period in history. Anne Frank's writing is articulate, her thoughts well-formed for her age, but often the impatience of a teen comes through in her story, which only adds to the validity of the diary.

"Even though I'm only fourteen, I know what I want, I know who's right and who's wrong, I have my own opinions, ideas and principles, and though it may sound odd coming from a teenager, I feel I'm more of a person than a child -- I feel I'm completely independent of others."

Anne shared reflections of her own writings in notes she left for future readers (she never imagined just how many they would number), and provided the world with a personal insight into the struggles of the Jews during World War II. Despite the significance of the time and her plight, Anne's writing proves she was still a normal, teenage girl -- complete with mood swings, tantrums, a growing awareness of her body, shy questions about sex, and a longing for male companionship.

Over the two years she spent in hiding, writing in her diary, you observe her growing up into a young lady. Her writing matures along with her:

"It's twice as hard for us young people to hold on to our opinions at a time when ideals are being shattered and destroyed, when the worst side of human nature predominates, when everyone has come to doubt truth, justice and God."

After reading her story, you feel like you truly know and understand Anne. I can relate to how she felt during those awkward teenage years -- the angst she felt towards her parents, the loneliness she experienced, the desire for a good cry. The teenage years can be a roller coaster of emotions, especially for young girls. Anne was forced to grow up in front of seven other people, from whom she had no escape, no reprieve -- and for that, I commend her and am ever so thankful to have shared in her story.

More recommended titles:

Memories Of Anne Frank: Reflections Of A Girlhood Friend by Alison Leslie Gold
Ages 10 and up
Lexile 890L

Anne Frank: The Anne Frank House Authorized Graphic Biography by Sid Jacobson, Ernie Colón
Lexile GN800L

Anne Frank: Her life in words and pictures from the archives of The Anne Frank House by Menno Metselaar, Ruud van der Rol, Arnold J. Pomerans (Translator)
Ages 9 and up

Who Was Anne Frank? by Ann Abramson, Nancy Harrison (Illustrator)

Ages 8 and up

Lexile 660L

Anne Frank House
The Anne Frank Center USA