Ten Things We Did (and Probably Shouldn't Have)

2 girls + 3 guys + 1 house – parents = 10 things April and her friends did that they (definitely, maybe, probably) shouldn't have.

If given the opportunity, what sixteen-year-old wouldn't jump at the chance to move in with a friend and live parent-free? Although maybe "opportunity" isn't the right word, since April had to tell her dad a tiny little untruth to make it happen (see #1: "Lied to Our Parents"). But she and her housemate Vi are totally responsible and able to take care of themselves. How they ended up "Skipping School" (#3), "Throwing a Crazy Party" (#8), "Buying a Hot Tub" (#4), and, um, "Harboring a Fugitive" (#7) at all is kind of a mystery to them.

In this hilarious and bittersweet tale, Sarah Mlynowski mines the heart and mind of a girl on her own for the first time. To get through the year, April will have to juggle a love triangle, learn to do her own laundry, and accept that her carefully constructed world just might be falling apart . . . one thing-she-shouldn't-have-done at a time.

"With wit, energy, and an uncanny understanding of teenage logic, Mlynowski (Gimme a Call) weighs the pros and cons of independence in this modern cautionary tale. April is thrilled when her father agrees to let her stay at her friend Vi's house while he and his new wife move from Connecticut to Ohio. There's just one little detail that April manages to keep secret: Vi's mother will be away, so there will be no adult supervision. Soon April is living a 16-year-old's dream: 'House on the beach. No Parents. Parties whenever we wanted. Boyfriends whenever we wanted.' But it doesn't take her long to discover that the price of freedom (both literally and figuratively) may be higher than she's willing to pay. Even though the message about growing up too quickly comes through loud and clear, Mlynowski avoids sermonizing, offering 10 madcap and remarkably tense escapades that will have readers laughing, cringing, and guessing how April will get out of the next pickle. Like all good things, April's freedom party must come to an end, but the way it does so will surprise. Ages 14 — up. (June)" Publishers Weekly (Starred Review) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.

Sarah Mlynowski has written four novels for teens (Bras & Broomsticks, Frogs & French Kisses, Spells & Sleeping Bags, and Parties & Potions) and six books for adults. She has taken many road trips and gotten lost on every one.