Oh No Junior High! with Terri Klaes Harper

It was nearly a year and a half ago that I read my first Indie novel since I have read more Indie's than mainstream. I find Indie books to be refreshingly vibrant and exciting. The author's aren't tied into what the general public is currently purchasing. For any indie author who has tried sending their manuscripts to publishers or literary agents that's more or less the response given along with a it has promise. Indie author's aren't afraid to break the rules and write a fascinating story unlike other books on the market. The book that started it all for me was Memoirs of an Ordinary Girl: The Middle-ish Ages by Terri Klaes Harper.

This fun read is about a young girl going into the foreboding junior high years whose family  moves from west coast  California to east coast Virginia as if junior high isn't difficult enough. Drew escapes the ridicule of her California peers also leaving behind the love of her life only to have it replaced by a new villain and hunky junior high boy. The author delves into those awkward years as culture shocked Drew adjusts to her new surroundings and that ever present junior high need to fit in socially. She vies for the attention of the popular while falling into the hands of the ordinary and has a great epiphany to what and who "real friends" are.

Terri Klaes Harper uses great illustration through character and dialogue to draw in the reader and keep the pages of the book turning. I started this read before work and couldn't wait until after work to finish it and did that I did in one day. The book is truly that good! It is a must read for young adults finding themselves trapped in Drew's reality to adults who remember those tragic drama filled years. I am currently and not so patiently awaiting the sequel.

I especially made a connection with this book as I have taught junior high for several years now and found this novella to put a humorous but true spin on the realities of junior high. I envisioned my students playing various characters which actually gave me laughter pains by the time I finished.

Below is a link to the book on Amazon and Terri Klaes Harper's Facebook author page:

Memoirs-Ordinary-Girl-Middle-ish-Ages
https://www.facebook.com/TerriKlaesHarperauthor