Just Ask: Kim: Book 1

Who Do You Ask When You Don't Have the Answers?

What's a girl to do when caught between a rock and a hard place? The "hard place" is losing the use of her beloved car, and the "rock" is her immovable dad. In order to regain driving privileges, Kim Peterson's dad talks her into writing an advice column for teens in his newspaper. Kim reluctantly agrees and writes under a pen name. But as she reads letters from peers and friends, she becomes keenly aware of two things: (1) Some kids have it way worse than her, and (2) she does not have all the answers Who can she turn to?

Thursday, September 1

I've been saving for my own car, but my parents decided that I can only get a car if I keep a clean driving record. That means absolutely NO tickets--period--nada. And the policeman said he'd clocked me going 72 in a 55 mile zone. Oops.

When Kim Peterson gets a speeding ticket, her dad offers her a way to retain her driving privileges. If she'll write the anonymous teen advice column for his newspaper, she can still get a car. So Kim becomes "Jamie" of "Just Ask Jamie." No big deal, she thinks.

She answers letters about stuff that's everyday and stuff that's not: parents, piercings, dating, drugs, depression, and people who are just users. Nothing Kim can't handle.

But when a classmate is killed, the letters turn to questions about life, death, and what it all means. And Kim starts to wonder if she really does have all the answers--and if not, where to find them. The Christian faith of her adoptive family? The Buddhism of her Korean heritage? Who can she turn to--to just ask?

Story Behind the Book

"My teenage years remain vivid in my mind. It was a turbulent time full of sharp contrasts--love and hate, pain and pleasure, trust and doubt. Then, just as I reached my peak of questioning, rebelling, and seeking, I found God. And I found Him in a really big way My life turned completely around and has, thankfully, never turned back. Hopefully this story will touch and change hearts--speaking to teen girls right where they live, reminding readers that God is alive and well and ready to be intimately involved in their lives right now "

Author: Melody Carlson
Publisher: Multnomah Books
Published: 07/07/2005
Pages: 256
Binding Type: Paperback
Weight: 0.58lbs
Size: 8.28h x 5.28w x 0.72d
ISBN: 9781590523216
Audience: Young Adult

Accelerated Reader:
Reading Level: 5
Point Value: 8
Interest Level: Middle Grade Plus
Quiz #/Name: 105193 / Just Ask


Review Citation(s):
Ingram Children's Advance 07/01/2005 pg. 64
School Library Journal 12/01/2005 pg. 142

About the Author
Melody Carlson has published more than 90 books for children, teens, and adults--with sales totaling more than 2 million. Several of her books have been the winners of various writing awards. Her Diary of a Teenage Girl series has received great reviews and overwhelming fan mail. Melody has two grown sons and lives in Central Oregon with her husband. They enjoy skiing, hiking, gardening, camping, and biking in the beautiful Cascade Mountains .