With the eye of a reporter, the curiosity of an anthropologist, and the open (and sometimes wounded) heart of a mother, writer Lauren Kessler embeds herself in her about-to-be-teenage daughter's life. In seventh- and eighth-grade classrooms, at home, online, at the mall, and at summer camp, Kessler observes, investigates, chronicles--and participates in--the life of a twenty-first-century teen. As she begins to better understand and appreciate her mercurial daughter, their relationship--at first a mirror of the author's difficult relationship with her own mother--lurches in new directions. With the help of a resident teen expert (her daughter), as well as teachers, doctors, therapists, and other mothers, Kessler illuminates the age-old struggle from both sides, gracefully interweaving personal experience with journalistic inquiry. Funny, poignant, and insightful, this book explores the fascinating and scary world of today's teen.