The Year I turned 16 by Diane Shwemm

In the book "The Year I Turned 16" by Diane Schwemm, four sisters learn that all though growing up seems like the best thing that could possibly happen to them, its not as fun as it appears to be. When the loss of their father occurs, each and everyone of their lives is turned upsidedown. Rose, the oldest of the sisters,is depended on by her mom to help run the house and take care of her younger siblings, all while trying to live a normal teenage life while having a boyfriend who doesn't support her aspirations to become a singer. The next olderst, Dasiy,was the closest to their dad is extremley athletic and witty, but its no fun for her when she's struggling daily to put up with her family commenting on her "boy-like" ways. And while trying to deal with that, she gets an interesting boyfriend who changes her outlook on life comepletly. The next sister, Laurel, is a caring, intelligent, shy girl who is still figuring out her life. And with yet another loss of someone special, she feels her whole life is crashing down. But with a knew love she knows she can depend on, maybe things are looking up for her. And the youngest of the four, Lily, definitley has it off the toughest. With her sisters gone living their lives for them self, Lily is stuck alone figuring out her future and the kind of person she wants to be. So used to having her sisters around to support her through all of the stress of being a teenager, Lily struggles and desperatley needs to rediscover who she really is. Read as these four girls growing up in a small town in Maine cope with their becoming of age. I think this book is great and entertaining for any teenage girl, because they can relate to the characters in numerous ways. Overall, Diane Shwemm did a fantastic job on the book. -Breanne