Scholastic's 1997 National Teacher of the Year, Sharon Draper, has written an unusual and fascinating book for middle-grade and YA girls that's part journal and part novel.

Meet Jasmine---Jazzy, for short. She's a thirteen-year-old with lots of thirteen-year-old things going on in her life. Things she likes to write down in her journal. Jazzy wonders about who she is, her parents, her school, boys (of course)---normal stuff. But she also thinks about her body, getting older, and death.
Jazzy is a teenager like most. But, by reading her entries, this journal not only gives the reader a chance to see that their feelings and emotions are sometimes shared by others, it also gives the reader a place to write what they might be feeling, as well.