A good book for high school freshmen

ten miles past normal by frances o'roark dowell is the story of most ninth graders trying to find their niche in high school. Janie Gorman lives on a small goat farm in North Carolina (a farm that five years earlier she gave her parents the idea to buy).  When she goes to high school, she is separated from all of her friends except for her best friend who shares one class. Although she's looking to fit in and be normal,  Janie ends up being herself in this insightful coming of age story. She finds new friends in Verbena, a quirky outcast who draws on her arms and Monster, an eleventh grader who is mature beyond his years. And along the way she meets some local civil rights figures who worked with a Freedom School during the 1960s and once again enjoys her eccentric life. Recommended for ages 12+

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