Title: Julia Jones – The Teenage Years

Author: Katrina Kahler 

Rating: 4/5

Julia is now a typical teenage girl but has abruptly and unexpectedly been thrown into turmoil by the forced relocation of her family back to their old home in the city. She attempts to come to terms with her dilemma by reconnecting with her old friend, Millie Spencer and also the love of her life, Blake Jansen. However, on arrival at her old house, she soon learns that circumstances have changed dramatically during the time she was away and the days that follow seem to unravel in a series of escalating drama and events. Although Julia tries to maintain control, her life seems to snowball towards an all consuming disaster which she appears powerless to prevent.

Julia finds that her choices surrounding love, friends and rebellious teenage behavior tend to result in dire consequences and repercussions of the worst kind. What is the cause of Julia’s misery and how does she deal with the challenges in her path?

This is a book filled with unexpected plot twists and turns that will keep you on the edge of your seat wondering what is going to happen next. Don’t miss out on the suspenseful journey of Julia Jones, complete with romance, drama, friendship issues and much, much more.

This fabulous book for teenage girls contains all the elements of an exciting story that girls of all ages will enjoy.

Review:

Katrina Kahler is excellent at creating children’s and young adult novels that allow readers to fall into the situations that she puts her characters into.  Her writing is aimed towards young girls to help them cope with situations that they might be in, or know what to expect in a situation that might happen to them as they get older.  Kahler’s work connects with young girls from late elementary school – high school, and I enjoyed how she asked the reader to feel as though they are a part of the story, and to consider what they might do if they were in the situations that she discussed.  Her writing is very realistic, and it doesn’t sugarcoat the young female experience.  I connected to Julia Jones even though I am well into my adult life, and I appreciated how Kahler’s writing allowed me to reflect on my own life.

One of the best parts about this three book collection was that the chapters were all very short and easy to read on a short term basis.  All of the books connected to each other seamlessly, and I found myself appalled at the different situations that Julia was put into.  I am not a fan of young adult novels that portray the teenage experience in a way that is too positive or nonchalant, and Kahler broke through that stereotype by showing the reader some of the real events that can occur to a teenager.  Julia’s story was raw and real, and I would gladly suggest it to all teenage or pre-teen girls.  Kahler’s way of teaching and empathizing with her readers is unique and something that I haven’t found in other pre-teen/teenage novels.  Pick up this series for your daughters, nieces, etc. and even read it for yourself to understand what young girls are going through in today’s world.  It is an excellent resource on today’s high school culture.

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