Please note: This is a companion version & not the original book. Sample Book Insights: #1 I was always steeling myself for things like sleepovers and school trips where you went overnight to nature camp, because I dreaded being away from home. But I never wavered, even when I knew my behavior had been registered as rude or strange. #2 I was ten when I got my first period. I was sitting on a beanbag in the reading corner at school, and I was wearing madras Bermuda shorts. I knew that I would be the first girl in my generation to get her period. #3 I was a shy person, but I was also one of the shy people who wanted to be seen. I was a blond, bossy older sister who sang solos and won blue ribbons. But as I grew up, I became more and more awkward. #4 I was no longer the person I'd been my whole life. I was growing up, and I didn't like my new body. I was not attractive, and I was not blossom-ing; I was coarsening.