What Matters Most by Melody Carlson

What Matters Most by Melody Carlson (Diary of a Teenage Girl, Maya, book 3) (Multnomah, September 15, 2009), 256 pages

Summary
Maya has just started her first year at a real high school (she was homeschooled and got her GED earlier), and she has to decide if she wants this to be her junior year or her senior year. There’s the usual high school drama. She’s busy with her newspaper column, her regular television spot and her job at a clothing boutique. But then she finds out her mom is likely going to be released from prison. Oh, and she’s been filling her time playing on her dad’s old acoustic guitar.

Thoughts
I was dubious when I picked this book up and saw that Carlson has written more than 200 books. That is so far beyond prolific, that I was worried. I may have read something by Carlson many years ago, but I can’t remember for sure either way. I was also a bit skeptical because it’s the third Diary of a Teenage Girl about Maya, and I haven’t read any of them before.

I’m happy to report, I really enjoyed this book. Maya’s life is, to say the least, very different than mine was when I was in high school. I did relate to her pretty easily, though.

Having not read the other books wasn’t really a hurdle — I was able to understand what was going on without any trouble — but when I was done reading, I was very sad that I had just read the last book. I wish I’d been able to start at the beginning, of the whole Diary of a Teenage Girl series, not just those that star Maya.

This was really a fun book. Light, but not airy. Not too heaving on the coming-of-age stuff. A quick read with some depth.

About the author
Melody Carlson has written more than 200 books. She lives in central Oregon.

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I received this book from the publisher.