California Diaries Series by Ann M. Martin, Nola Thacker, Jeanne Betancourt, Peter Lerangis

What kind of friend am I? Actually, I think I mean what kind of person am I? What kind of friend, sister, stepsister, daughter, stepdaughter? I'm not always a very good person. I know that. But sometimes I can't help it.Friends. Changes. Together. Alone. Dawn Shafer has moved from California and everything's changing—way too fast.

Since the beginning of the series, readers have known that Sunny's mother is sick. Now, Mrs. Winslow's struggle with cancer reaches its final chapter and Sunny is left with many unresolved issues. Presented in a personal, first-person journal format.

Selected poetry editor of Inner Vistas, Maggie Blume, an aspiring song writer, struggles with feelings of inadequacy.

With a unique diary page design, the "California Diaries" series is an intimate look at preteen life in the '90s. Amalia Vargas is the new girl in school, and she's fitting right in. With a new group of friends, living by a new set of rules, Amalia's life is spinning in a whole new direction--especially when her boyfriend won't let her break up with him Ages 11-13. Pub: 12/97. .

Ducky's best friends used to be Jay and Alex, but now he's not so sure. Jay is a slave to coolness, and he and Alex are taking paths that Ducky doesn't want to follow.

California Diaries: Sunny, Diary Two (Read 180, Stage C - Level 2, Lexile 470)

Dawn is no longer Sunny's best friend. She is no longer Daddy's little girl. All the old pieces are falling away. Is there anyone new underneath?

If only I could be perfect.If only I could lose 10 pounds.Then I'll be happy; then everything will be perfect.Maggie's got an eating disorder, and it's getting worse.

In her first California Diary, Amalia revealed the pain of dealing with her boyfriend James, who was abusive and threatening. Now she's over James. But she still feels the pain.

Ducky works hard to be the best friend possible. But when it comes to Alex, who is very depressed, Ducky doesn't seem to be able to do enough.

Dawn and Sunny used to be best friends. But now they're history. Still, they share one major concern: Sunny's mom, who's dying of cancer. No one else understands what they're going through. That just may be enough to reunite them.

Since the beginning of the series, readers have known that Sunny's mother is sick. Now, Mrs. Winslow's struggle with cancer reaches its final chapter and Sunny is left with many unresolved issues. Presented in a personal, first-person journal format.

Maggie's dad is working on a new movie starring teen idol Tyler Kendall, but Maggie's not interested. Stars are just self-absorbed and shallow, she thinks -- until she meets Tyler.

When Amalia is verbally assaulted in a racist incident, it affects her deeply. Her family, friends, and new boyfriend help heal her self-confidence -- and restore her faith in other people.

Christopher, better known as Ducky, recounts in his diary his summer working in a bookstore, his relationship with the owner's daughter, Sunny, his friend Maggie's role in intervening in her mother's alcoholism, and his plans for an end-of-summer party.