The Edge of Thirteen

I've always felt a particular fondness for Nova Weetman's middle grade novels about Clem Timmins because my lovely, horribly missed friend Sandra Eterovic provided the cover illustrations for the first two books.

The Edge of Thirteen takes Clem to the very brink of young adulthood. Her friends are suddenly interested in boys, wearing bras, getting their periods. Clem wants everything to stay the same but it's all changing. The Edge of Thirteen beautifully captures that subtle peer pressure and desire to fit in, even if it means doing things you're not sure you want to do (like taking selfies, kissing, or even talking about kissing) and how devastating it feels when it all goes wrong. 

I could totally relate to this novel, even though I didn't really experience the same pressure until I was a good five years older than Clem! This is a great story for anyone who is twelve or thirteen, knows someone who is twelve or thirteen, or has been twelve or thirteen themselves once upon a time.