Valley of Saint Anne

Deirdre Beyer, 12, is inspired to keep a diary when she reads Anne Frank's "Diary of a Young Girl." Dee Dee writes faithfully to Anne, as Anne did to her imaginary friend Kitty, and her diary entries reveal an inquisitive and insightful young mind as she shares the happenings in her life: Changes in her body and her growing curiosity about sex; her first encounter with a boy; her father's tragic death; her mother's loneliness; her desire to have a Quinceañera; and the confidence and courage she gains learning to surf. "Valley of Saint Anne" explores the boundaries of social mores and Dee Dee's character is central to the story and its moral compass. Her coming-of-age story is one of many stories about people of all ages in this novel set in contemporary Southern California.